| Ranger Report - Wilderness and Front Country |
October 24th, 2008
| Hey, let us know what you see out there! Send a couple photos along with your hiking, biking, 4x4in, horseback riding, etc. dventure story. We are always very happy to hear from our trail friends. cleelumtrails@yahooo.com |
Hi Everyone,
Sorry for the long gap between reports, but it’s been pretty busy out there! General Deer
season finished a week ago, and we had a week off between seasons. For the next
two weekends Elk season is in full swing. It’s a sure bet that the Teanaway will be
really crowded during the deer season, and this year was no different. The Miller, Bear,
Stafford, Standup, Way Creek, and the entire North Fork was packed with hunters all
wanting to get their deer. Actually, I haven’t seen that area quite so crowded. It seemed
like every dispersed site and campground was occupied.
In addition, the sub-Alpine Western Larch reached full color during deer season,
bringing out a lot of very shocked hikers to the upper North Fork Teanaway. The
Esmeralda Trailhead has been packed the last three weekends. It seemed like
everyone had a good time after they got past the general shock caused by the crowds.
Last weekend, I took a hike up to Deception Pass. There is actually quite a bit of snow
up high. The going, as of last weekend, was pretty easy though. The trail was easily
negotiable. I also spent quite a bit of time in the Taneum/Manastash. There are a lot of
large Elk Camps being erected out in that area. We always have illegal tree cutting
during the hunting season, but honestly, I’ve never seen it this bad. I counted 30
stumps in one area. The trees had been freshly cut and the timber hauled off. It’s
pretty sad to see. I don’t mean to bag on the hunters because I know the ones that
follow the rules are in the vast majority, but we do tend to see a lot of trash, timber
down, and illegal activity during General Deer and Elk Season. That’s just a sad fact.
In the end, there are way more good people than bad, but like any user group, the jerks
seem to stick out.
Riding, both horseback and moto, on the Cle Elum District is nearing an end. We rode
horses up on the Haney Trails (Table Mountain) last Tuesday. The drive up to Haney
was sketchy with snow and ice on the roadway most of the way. I recommend using
chains, at least on the downhill, if you plan to go up there. I definitely wouldn’t
recommend hauling a 25 foot horse trailer up there! The ride down was super sketchy,
trust me! On the plus side, WOW, did we have an awesome day! The fresh dusting of
snow really highlighted the golden Western Larch! Very, very cool. Because the snow
was wet, I had to stop and clean out Cisco’s front hoofs every 10 minutes or so. I felt
sorry for him. I don’t think he was enjoying himself as much as the rider he was carting
around! The lower Liberty trails are staying fairly snow free (4x4 trails). All the other
trails on Table have snow.
I hiked up the North Fork Teanaway this weekend. It was spectacular! Beautiful, sunny,
crisp days along with the fresh snow really accentuated the autumn colors. We hiked
up Deroux Trail to Gallagher Lake on Wednesday. It was cold down low. The two
bridges were covered with snow and ice and most of the trail held a small amount of
snow. The open area before the lake had about 4 inches. Gallagher Lake was
beginning to freeze. The north end was solid (just ask Maddie girl, our dog, who
thought she was going for a swim but, instead, slid about 20 yards on her butt). The
view at Gallagher was worth the trek through the snow!
We headed up Esmeralda Basin toward Lake Ann on Thursday. We lost the trail about
2/3 of the way up on the open slope before the ridgetop. Not a big deal as we enjoy
scrambling. We ended up a little too far west, but walked the ridgeline toward Ingalls
Peak until we could look straight down on a half frozed Lake Ann. The sub-alpine
larches were still brilliant. It was another perfect day!
I talked with several people who hiked up Ingalls Way Trail and said that the traverse on
the Ingalls Lake side of the ridge was pretty treacherous. Everyone I spoke with just
enjoyed the view from the ridge. If you want to go to the lake, I would suggest packing
crampons for safety.
Just checked the weather and it looks like a pretty nice weekend. Conditions should be
similar to what Al, Maddie, and I experienced on Wednesday and Thursday. Take extra
cloths along because as soon as the sun dips behind the mountains, it gets brutally
cold. I live at 2,700 feet and it was 25 degrees this morning. While the snow is here,
we are having a beautiful autumn, so come out and enjoy the east slope of the
Cascades while you can still get around without skis!
See you on the trail!
Protecting these lands is all our responsibility!
Leave No Trace Ethics are especially important at these popular destinations
Sorry for the long gap between reports, but it’s been pretty busy out there! General Deer
season finished a week ago, and we had a week off between seasons. For the next
two weekends Elk season is in full swing. It’s a sure bet that the Teanaway will be
really crowded during the deer season, and this year was no different. The Miller, Bear,
Stafford, Standup, Way Creek, and the entire North Fork was packed with hunters all
wanting to get their deer. Actually, I haven’t seen that area quite so crowded. It seemed
like every dispersed site and campground was occupied.
In addition, the sub-Alpine Western Larch reached full color during deer season,
bringing out a lot of very shocked hikers to the upper North Fork Teanaway. The
Esmeralda Trailhead has been packed the last three weekends. It seemed like
everyone had a good time after they got past the general shock caused by the crowds.
Last weekend, I took a hike up to Deception Pass. There is actually quite a bit of snow
up high. The going, as of last weekend, was pretty easy though. The trail was easily
negotiable. I also spent quite a bit of time in the Taneum/Manastash. There are a lot of
large Elk Camps being erected out in that area. We always have illegal tree cutting
during the hunting season, but honestly, I’ve never seen it this bad. I counted 30
stumps in one area. The trees had been freshly cut and the timber hauled off. It’s
pretty sad to see. I don’t mean to bag on the hunters because I know the ones that
follow the rules are in the vast majority, but we do tend to see a lot of trash, timber
down, and illegal activity during General Deer and Elk Season. That’s just a sad fact.
In the end, there are way more good people than bad, but like any user group, the jerks
seem to stick out.
Riding, both horseback and moto, on the Cle Elum District is nearing an end. We rode
horses up on the Haney Trails (Table Mountain) last Tuesday. The drive up to Haney
was sketchy with snow and ice on the roadway most of the way. I recommend using
chains, at least on the downhill, if you plan to go up there. I definitely wouldn’t
recommend hauling a 25 foot horse trailer up there! The ride down was super sketchy,
trust me! On the plus side, WOW, did we have an awesome day! The fresh dusting of
snow really highlighted the golden Western Larch! Very, very cool. Because the snow
was wet, I had to stop and clean out Cisco’s front hoofs every 10 minutes or so. I felt
sorry for him. I don’t think he was enjoying himself as much as the rider he was carting
around! The lower Liberty trails are staying fairly snow free (4x4 trails). All the other
trails on Table have snow.
I hiked up the North Fork Teanaway this weekend. It was spectacular! Beautiful, sunny,
crisp days along with the fresh snow really accentuated the autumn colors. We hiked
up Deroux Trail to Gallagher Lake on Wednesday. It was cold down low. The two
bridges were covered with snow and ice and most of the trail held a small amount of
snow. The open area before the lake had about 4 inches. Gallagher Lake was
beginning to freeze. The north end was solid (just ask Maddie girl, our dog, who
thought she was going for a swim but, instead, slid about 20 yards on her butt). The
view at Gallagher was worth the trek through the snow!
We headed up Esmeralda Basin toward Lake Ann on Thursday. We lost the trail about
2/3 of the way up on the open slope before the ridgetop. Not a big deal as we enjoy
scrambling. We ended up a little too far west, but walked the ridgeline toward Ingalls
Peak until we could look straight down on a half frozed Lake Ann. The sub-alpine
larches were still brilliant. It was another perfect day!
I talked with several people who hiked up Ingalls Way Trail and said that the traverse on
the Ingalls Lake side of the ridge was pretty treacherous. Everyone I spoke with just
enjoyed the view from the ridge. If you want to go to the lake, I would suggest packing
crampons for safety.
Just checked the weather and it looks like a pretty nice weekend. Conditions should be
similar to what Al, Maddie, and I experienced on Wednesday and Thursday. Take extra
cloths along because as soon as the sun dips behind the mountains, it gets brutally
cold. I live at 2,700 feet and it was 25 degrees this morning. While the snow is here,
we are having a beautiful autumn, so come out and enjoy the east slope of the
Cascades while you can still get around without skis!
See you on the trail!
Protecting these lands is all our responsibility!
Leave No Trace Ethics are especially important at these popular destinations
| Sub-Alpine Larch Near Lake Ann |
| Al checks out his map at the ridge above Lake Ann. |
| Snow right before Gallagher Lake. |
| Lake Ann. |
| Maddie and Al on the Deroux Trails. |
| I take a break across from Ingalls' Peak. |