Hike of the Month 2009

[+Criminal]

Is Weightman going?! Yo yo yo! The gang's all here!

 

Sorry, I am still recovering from my knee replacement 11 weeks ago and won't be able to do any serious trail work for some time. I hope to get some short trail work done soon and build up from there.

Well that sucks. Will remaining at the trailhead and making us lunch bother your knee too much? I mean, if it's going to aggravate your injury in any way, feel free to just hang out and guard the beer. If not, the hot lunch you're planning for us when we get back is really appreciated!

Edited December 18, 2009 by Criminal

[+WeightMan]

Is Weightman going?! Yo yo yo! The gang's all here!

 

Sorry, I am still recovering from my knee replacement 11 weeks ago and won't be able to do any serious trail work for some time. I hope to get some short trail work done soon and build up from there.

Well that sucks. Will remaining at the trailhead and making us lunch bother your knee too much? I mean, if it's going to aggravate your injury in any way, feel free to just hang out and guard the beer. If not, the hot lunch you're planning for us when we get back is really appreciated!

 

I also have a family obligation in Tacoma Saturday so I couldn't be there for that reason as well.

[+The Jester]

Is Weightman going?! Yo yo yo! The gang's all here!

 

Sorry, I am still recovering from my knee replacement 11 weeks ago and won't be able to do any serious trail work for some time. I hope to get some short trail work done soon and build up from there.

Well that sucks. Will remaining at the trailhead and making us lunch bother your knee too much? I mean, if it's going to aggravate your injury in any way, feel free to just hang out and guard the beer. If not, the hot lunch you're planning for us when we get back is really appreciated!

 

I also have a family obligation in Tacoma Saturday so I couldn't be there for that reason as well.

And when was that scheduled? Maybe, like, 9pm 12-17?

 

I guess I should make it offical - we'll be there!

[+WeightMan]

Is Weightman going?! Yo yo yo! The gang's all here!

 

Sorry, I am still recovering from my knee replacement 11 weeks ago and won't be able to do any serious trail work for some time. I hope to get some short trail work done soon and build up from there.

Well that sucks. Will remaining at the trailhead and making us lunch bother your knee too much? I mean, if it's going to aggravate your injury in any way, feel free to just hang out and guard the beer. If not, the hot lunch you're planning for us when we get back is really appreciated!

 

I also have a family obligation in Tacoma Saturday so I couldn't be there for that reason as well.

And when was that scheduled? Maybe, like, 9pm 12-17?

 

I guess I should make it offical - we'll be there!

Actually it was scheduled several weeks ago. This is the Christmas get together for my sister's kids since the normal host (who has the only house capable of hosting the group) will be in Hawaii for Christmas.

[+hydnsek]

I guess I should make it offical - we'll be there!

Me too!

[+TotemLake]

Ok, I count 8 total. In no particular order:

Hydnsek

Jester and Blooming Idiot

Criminal

Ironman

LandRover

AndrewRJ

TL

 

I'll see y'all there at 8!

[+hydnsek]

Ok, I count 8 9 total. In no particular order:

Hydnsek

Jester and Blooming Idiot

Criminal

Ironman

LandRover

AndrewRJ

TL

Cstmfrmr

 

I'll see y'all there at 8!

You forgot one.

[IronMaiden]

Ironman is on his way. Will be making a stop to pick up Criminal.

 

Also made sure his life insurance, and medical insurance were up to date .

 

Have fun everyone maybe I can try and get a HOTM in one of these days.

[+TotemLake]

Eight errr Nine up and nine down without injuries. We had to turn back due to possible avalanche risk when we were a little more than half way to the target cache.

 

By the way, the service road is not plowed and the area beyond that is plowed, is private property with no parking signs all over the place. You need to be a member of a ski club or WAC to be able to use it and parking alongside the roadway is not allowed. Anybody going after this be sure to park at the ski lot on the other side of the freeway.

Edited December 20, 2009 by TotemLake

[+Criminal]

[+ironman114]

Of course we have to have the obligatory shot of TotemLake falling down!

 

[+Pyewacket]

Great pics! Looks as if you guys had a wonderful time. Gotta find boots. And gaiters. And...? Oh, how much is the REI deposit for snowshoes if one is not a member? I was, once upon a time, but they can't find my info, and neither can I.

[+TotemLake]

I was ummmm practicing... yah that's it! I was practicing for the Snowshoe 101! That's the ticket!

[+TotemLake]

Great pics! Looks as if you guys had a wonderful time. Gotta find boots. And gaiters. And...? Oh, how much is the REI deposit for snowshoes if one is not a member? I was, once upon a time, but they can't find my info, and neither can I.

Eh? That's odd. However, the deposit is a lot more than the (supposed to be one time) $20 it takes to become a lifetime member and the benefits are immediately applied.

 

I became a member in '89 and only had to remember the old address or phone numer to pull it up when I hadn't gone in about 10 years.

[+hydnsek]

Thanks to TotemLake for another fun outing, even if we only got halfway to Halfway to Kendall Katwalk. My waypoint shows the trail-end at the "avalanche area" was directly below and west of the cache, at 3900 ft and N47 25.994 W 121 24.214.

 

Btw, I read this in the Mountaineers' Day Hiking book for this trail: "The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) climbs from Snoqualmie Pass through old-growth forests, dances through a log-littered avalanche slope (a perfect place to see just how powerful an avalanche can be), and traverses broad, steep-sloped wildflower meadows."

 

HOTM group 12/09: TotemLake, Criminal, Cstmframr, Ironman, Blooming Idiot, The Jester, LandRover, AndrewRJ

 

Trail end and small avalanche

 

Criminal takes a breather (and then complains his butt is cold and wet)

 

Lunch break at trail-end

Edited December 21, 2009 by hydnsek

[+The Jester]

My track shows 5.6 miles car to car (took the 'shortcut' on the way down).

[+TotemLake]

I've got 4 miles with the shortcut taken twice. With all the spills I took on that downhill bushwhack, I thought I had lost the coin, but it's still in the backpack and not in my pocket as I had thought. (whew)

PM or email me for the hi-res pic. In the meantime, I'm still drying everything out.

Edited December 22, 2009 by TotemLake

[+TotemLake]

Guye Peak that day.

[+TotemLake]

Ok upon ending this thread and anticipating opening a new one for 2010, please post your favorite pictures of hikes accomplished in 2009. This does not have to be limited to any of the HOTMs. Please post the link to the cache page too.

 

By far my most ambitious hike, this one put me in awe of the views and scared me.

Big Hump on the Duckabush Trail

[+Prying Pandora]

I think one of my most memorable hikes this year was Fortune Cookie by Patudles. Magnificent scenery in an area I'd never seen before, and the hike whipped my sorry under-exercised butt.

 

[lucyandrickie]

Our favorite hike was to CBWA Cache. The cache hadn't been found in three years and we hit it at the peak of fall color.

 

[+Kiersolvd]

An oldie but a goodie: Gem Cache

 

[John E Cache]

I've got 4 miles with the shortcut taken twice. With all the spills I took on that downhill bushwhack, I thought I had lost the coin, but it's still in the backpack and not in my pocket as I had thought. (whew)

PM or email me for the hi-res pic. In the meantime, I'm still drying everything out.

I have always wanted to try snow shoeing. I saw this on "google flip".

[Love]

Here are a couple photos from fun hikes I did this year. I promise to make it on some Hike of the Month adventures in 2010 (I'll make it a resolution!).

 

This was from a hike up Grandeur Peak the day after Geocoinfest in Salt Lake City. The hike was with Bryan and a group of cachers that do their own version of Hike of the Month in Utah.

 

 

These were from adventure with my Dad (Loblollylove) up Mt. St. Helens...

 

 

 

These was from an APE cache and Annette lake run with Spoon! and MissJenn...

 

 

 

Okay, I'll stop now. Looking forward to many more hikes in 2010!

[+Criminal]

It took two tries, but making the summit of Mt. O'Neil was well worth the effort. That's Colonel Bob on the left side of the ridge, taken from the summit of O'Neil:

 

 

The other favorite I have is my solo run to Lake 3995 in the Wonder Mountain Wilderness. Three days and two nights of peace:

 

 

One more then, the east summit of Colonel Bob in late June with some snow still on the ground. Nobody visits Bob's other peak since the trail only goes to the western summit. Taking this picture took all of my courage; there's nothing below my feet for something like a thousand feet. That's Moonshine Flats down there.