Granite Mountain
The quickest hike ever (When it should not have been) (10/11/99)
What is it with fog and I-90 peaks???? (6/18/00)
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October 11, 1999
| This is
one steep son of a bitch! Holy crap! To complicate
things, I did it too quickly. I kept trying to slow down,
but I couldn't! I make the 1.2 miles to the trail split
between the Granite Mt and Pratt Lake Trails in 25
minutes. I made it to the peak in 2.5 hours. I shouldn't
have. 4.4 miles on such a steep mountain, I should have
taken at least 4 hours. My thighs were mumbling
obscenities at me the whole way. Ugh.
|
 |
You cross a huge gully that runs from right under the peak to almost I-90, and it was full of boulders and running water. There is a point where the trail splits. You can follow it to the left, and go left up the ridge to the peak, or take it to the right.
This way follows it to the north side of Granite Mt, just under the peak, and runs along a stream. There is still piles of snow there. Nothing like Yellow Aster Butte, but impressive and sickening, nonetheless. And speaking of snow, there was a fresh dusting of snow on the trees, and it is only early October!
And it was windy and cold. I felt like I stepped into February on that side of the mountain. But, it is prettier than going up the ridge, which is nothing but boulders. Lots of snow piles, Alpiney Goodness, tarns, rocks, animal tracks, views of mountains to the north, lakes below. If you follow it, it will lead you to the peak.
At the peak is the Lookout! My first lookout! Score! There were a couple of guys up there manning the station, playing cards. It sits on a pile of man-placed granite rocks.
Views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Mt. Hood, and Glacier Peak. 4 Volcanoes! Yay! I saw elk! ELK! Yay! I was just over 1/2 the way up the gully when I saw movement out of my left eye. There were 3 elk, munching on berries at about 4800 feet. And I saw a couple quail, a squirrel, and a field mouse. And the usual birds of sorts.
The descent was ok, but very hard on the joints. The trail is very rocky. Not a lot of roots or mud, except where you follow the stream. The rocks make it Ankle Funland. The impact of the steep descent make it hell on the knees, though. On the way down, I counted 64 people going up. If I ever needed a reminder of why I leave at godawful hours to go to these places, I counted 64 of them.
| What does this flower look like to
you? Does this make you horny, baby? |
 |
Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny, clear and actually kind of hot day here in Seattle. My hike was planned for Sunday, as usual. No bother, the weather can't be that much different. We had to choose between going back to Squire Creek or to Granite Mountain, as the appeared to be mostly snowfree, whilst all the others are still rather white. We picked Granite, so we can cross it off our list for this year.
| Turns out
that the weather changed. Drastically. It was cloudy at
first, (7am) with some breaks, so we held out hope for it
to clear up by the time we got out of the trees. Then it
started to drizzle. And the fog got thicker. After a
couple of hours, we got to the snow. lots of snow.
|
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So, here we are, on a mountain about 4800ft in the air, in the drizzly fog, on a 45 degree grade covered with snow, on a ridge, with about 800 feet to go. Smart? No. Oh well. Fuck it. Gotta keep going. We followed some people up along the ridge, looking both to the South and to the North over a snow covered ridge and nice looking cornices, into white snow below, and white fog above. Talk about 'ascending' into the abyss!
Finally, we made it to the tower. I was not expecting to make it there, so it was an accomplishment. I wish I could have gone back over the north side of it instead of the ridge, but by looking at these marks, I am glad. The depressed lines in the snow are from under-snow melting and draining. Bad news to walk on.
 |
It rained.
It was cold and windy, and we were not properly attired
for wet conditions. But, it is off the list, Sunny got to
do one that had been bugging her, and since we made it to
the peak, it was a success despite the lousy weather. I
felt like I was out in February, NOT June! Sheesh! :) Because Annette Lake was soo busy last time we went out, and because I counted 64 people on the way down the last time I hiked Granite, we counted. There were 7 people at the top when we were. There were 40(?) people on the way down. And most importantly, there were about 21 WTA people working on the trail. Many many thanks to the people who were there maintaining the trail. Your efforts are greatly appreciated! |
Next up? McClellan. Read up about my defeats. I will beat that fucking thing. Oh yes. I will.
McClellan BAD!
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