Thunder Knob hike: 01/07/15

Hike: Thunder Knob

Date: 01/07/2015

Distance/Gain: 3.8 miles, 635 ft. of gain

Highest Point: 1875 ft

Rating: 6/10

Pros: Views, solitude, ease of hike

Cons: Blow downs, drive distance, many man made items in view.

After seeing that this was WTA's hike of the week, and with how much I love the North cascades, I decided this would be the hike for me. We got an early start on the road because it was a 1.5 hr drive. The road was bare/wet with no real issues, however HWY 20 is shut down just 4 miles up the road due to a slide.

The trailhead was vacant when we got there. We quickly geared up and began walking in 3" of snow that continued to get deeper from the parking lot. Following my GPS we quickly met a 6 foot wide stream that had about 8-10" of quick moving water. After trying some different crossing methods, we headed closer to the lake (Diablo) and found a snow covered log that seemed suitable.


After crossing you make your way through more snow to another stream crossing. This one was doable with some careful rock hopping. Once you find the trail through the 5" of snow, it is pretty easy to follow, even though there were no tracks from other hikers in it. There is enough melted spots to guide you the right way.

The trail has a few minor switch backs, but nothing to break a sweat over, and there are enough peek views to keep the trail entertaining. 

Once you get to the pond, the trail continues to the left, and wraps around the back of the pond, It is just a short walk from there to the first of two view points where you can see: Diablo Lake, the McMillan Spires, Stetattle Creek valley, etc. 


Continue down the trail to the final view point where there are more benches, and you can see Jacks Mountain, and HWY 20 winding through the Mountains ahead.

Heading back was an easy walk, and to our surprise we encountered a group of about 8 heading up the trail.

Overall this is a very easy hike. We never put on our spikes, or gaiters. The gaiters wouldn't have hurt, but they just went needed the day we went. As always be prepared and pack what you may need.

Annette Lake hike: 12/23/14

Hike: Annette Lake

Date:12/23/14

Distance/Gain: 7.5miles, 1400 ft. of gain

Highest Point: 3600 ft

Rating: 7/10

Pros:Beautiful mountain lake, many unique features along the trail

Cons:Weather/rain inhibited some views

I decided to squeeze in another hike this week, even though last minute Christmas shopping, and the weather thought I should have taken a week off. Just like last week I took a look at the trip reports, and thought that Annette Lake looked the most appealing with its beautiful lake, and dusting of snow.

I got a relatively early start, and made the hour + drive to the trail head. The road wasn't horrible, but there were a decent amount of potholes (nothing like the Ira springs mess.) I arrived at the the trail head at 08:50, and was not alone. There were 3 other cars which surprised me for an early morning, bad weather, Tuesday hike.

 It was a WET day, raining steadily from the start. The trail starts out innocently enough, a very slight incline creek side, that takes you over an impressive bridge. The creek was roaring from all of the recent rainfall.

After the bridge, you follow the trail until it crosses iron-horse trail, at a little over a mile in. That's where I encountered the first group of hikers. They were a very friendly group, I quickly passed by and made my way towards the lake.

From there, the trail begins a long slow climb. The trail has numerous roots, large rocks, and stream crossings, so be sure to watch your step.

I was actually able to take off my rain shell for a bit. But once I reached 3000 feet, I encountered my first snow on the ground, and the rain decided to rejoin the hike.

At 3200 feet I decided it was time to put on the Microspikes. My Merrells had been doing fine until that point, but the packed snow + switchbacks made a things a lot slicker.

 The rest of the hike was relatively uneventful, After a handful of switchbacks the trail remain mostly flat until you reach the banks of Annette Lake.  The snow at the lake gets to roughly 6" deep, but the trail is packed.  I had gaiters on but likely didn't need them.

When I arrived at the lake it began to downpour. I grabbed a few pictures, and decided to head back. I made it back to the car at exactly the 3 hour mark. Overall its a beautiful hike, with a lot of little surprises along the way. This is one that I will revisit in the summer and spend some more time exploring.

*After my hike last week to Mount Dickerman where I temporarily lost the trail. I decided that I needed to add in a GPS (besides my SPOT) to assist in winter navigation.  After some research I decided to try out the app BackCountry Navigator. The app works off of your phones GPS, and downloaded maps, so you do not need cell service for this to work, as a matter of fact I was in airplane mode to save battery life.

The screenshot shows my downloaded map, the red line is the trail to Annette lake, the blue line is my "tracks" (where I have been) and the arrow is me and the direction I am facing.  This app sold me on this hike. For $11 I have a GPS tool that will assist keeping me on track on my hikes.

Ira Spring trail to Mason Lake hike: 12/10/14

Hike: Ira Spring Memorial Trail to Mason Lake

Date:12/10/14

Distance/Gain: 6.5miles, 2420ft. of gain

Highest Point: 4230ft

Rating: 7/10

Pros:Ease of climb, panoramic views, solitude

Cons:Mason Lake was underwhelming, weather inhibited some views

We chose this hike based off of trip reports of snow, however that was 6 days prior and when we got there the trail was bare and wet. On December 10th in Washington State, in the Cascades you can usually guarantee snow, but not this time. The weather warned of high wind/rain for all of  Western Washington, but we were determined to hike so that wasnt going to slow us down.

The road to the trail head was atrocious. For the last mile or so, its nothing but deep pot-holes. It looks like they are working on improving it though, because there was fresh gravel before the pot holes began. When we got to the trail head we were happy to see that we were the only ones crazy enough to attempt the hike with the weather conditions. We started up the trail at 11:00 am, in a unseasonably warm 56 degrees, with on and off rain.

About a mile in, we reached a waterfall flowing across the trail. There were plenty of rocks/logs to get across, but it would have been a quick ride down if you were to fall in. Trip reports from a week ago stated the rocks on top were covered in ice, but were dry for us.

Once you start the switchbacks you really start to get the views, and for us the high wind. You will encounter panoramic views for the remainder of the hike until you start towards mason lake.The trail is a steady climb on a cliff side, with minor switch backs, there is never really a time where this hike feels difficult.
Once you reach your peak elevation 4230ft, you will continue for about a half mile, and drop down a few hundred feet to Mason Lake. The lake was 2/3rd's frozen over, giving it a unique look. Mason lake was not as stunning as Blanca, or Lake Twenty-two, but is still a pretty area to eat and relax.

Overall, the trail up to the lake is very unique and worth checking out, especially if you go on a sunny day. My hiking buddy said it reminded him of hiking some of the ridge lines on the Wonderland trail. The trail is very well maintained, and pretty wide for the majority of the climb.