Having hiked the other "famous" peaks in North Bend, those being Mount Si and Mailbox Peak, I set aside a full day on a Friday to tackle the lesser known but equally difficult Mount Teneriffe. You might recall that Jeannie and I
hiked to Teneriffe Falls back in December, which is about halfway to the top of Mount Teneriffe. I also did a quick reconnaissance mission earlier this week to the falls and 1000' higher up the trail. My recon showed no problems, and no snow to my turnaround point at 3400'.
Supposedly,
Mount Teneriffe gets its name from the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, though I haven't been able to uncover exactly why - perhaps it looks like the famous volcano there. Taking a poll on Facebook, I discovered that there are at least three different ways to pronounce the name of this peak. The most common to locals seems to be "ten-uh-riff", whereas the official pronunciation of the island is "ten-uh-reef". Speakers familiar with Spanish pronunciation seem to use "ten-eh-ree-feh". In any case, this mountain is located just to the east of Mount Si, and in fact several of the trails on the two mountains can be combined for various loops or one-way hikes.
Today, I gear up and leave the car at about 9:15 AM, hoping to make it to the summit before lunchtime. The trail I'll be taking beyond Teneriffe Falls is called the Kamikaze Trail, and in fact the falls used to be named Kamikaze Falls. Like the old trail on Mailbox Peak, the Kamikaze Trail is a climber's path that ascends to the summit in the shortest distance possible,
dispensing with such niceties as switchbacks. However, the shortness of the trail offers a time savings over the new trail, which follows a series of old logging roads up the mountain. The Kamikaze Trail is roughly 7 miles round trip, versus 13 miles taken by the new one. I think I'm ready for it!
I reach the falls in just under an hour and stop to catch my breath. The day is mostly cloudy and a bit cool, but the snow-fed spray feels good after the climb up the rocky Teneriffe Falls trail. Despite seeing more than 20 cars in the parking lot, I have only passed two parties on the trail, and see two couples at the falls. Weekday hiking is a treat! After my scenic respite, I continue upward onto the Kamikaze Trail. The first 1/4 mile or so is a combination of short switchbacks, scree, and veggie belay until it attains the ridge that leads to the summit. As at Mailbox Peak, key vegetation has been worn smooth by decades of hikers. I reach the ridge in about ten minutes and forge ahead.
The lower part of the summit ridge, or spine, as such a ridge is often called, is a knife-edge ridge with steep drops on both sides. It's still covered with trees, but walking up the narrow edge between steep drops is somewhat invigorating, and keeps the climb interesting. At times there are some
class two scrambling moves, but in general it's a safe route, easy to follow, and free of obstructions. There are not many views in this section of the trail, but is mostly pleasant open forest. I stop briefly at about 3400' to get a hazy view of Mailbox Peak across the Middle Fork. The clouds are obscuring many of the surrounding peaks, but I'm optimistic that things will clear up later in the day.
I encounter continual snow at about 3700', but the boot tracks from earlier hikers are easy to follow, and the snow is quite firm, so it makes for easy climbing, even before I don my micro spikes at about 4000'.
At about 4400', I reach a clearing and get a sneak peak of the views I will be seeing at the top. Fast-moving clouds are making their way up and over the mountainside, but some blue sky is in the mix as well. At this point, I can choose to go left into the trees to join the new trail, or follow the Kamikaze route straight up a steep snowfield. I choose the latter option, as it seems to have more positive tracks in the snow. I detour left around some rock outcroppings, still following the boot path. The snow is firm enough that my micro spikes work well, even without my poles, though the soft snow causes a bit of slippage in the sunnier spots. In all, this route seems far easier to me than the steep, exposed snow on the Mailbox Peak summit.
After a final push through some trees surrounded by deep snow, I reach the summit block and one last snowfield. I have to keep reminding myself to turn around and look at the view as I go up. When ascending a steep slope, it's easy to stay focused on the mountain in front of you and forget that there is a breathtaking view behind. I remember the warnings I've read about this summit in the winter or spring, namely that there is an extremely steep drop-off on the east side, and a large cornice there that should be avoided for safety reasons. This climb on the western side is straightforward, and I'm pleased, but not entirely surprised, to see that I am alone on the summit! I'm even more pleased with my 2:45 time to reach the top.
The cornice is indeed present at the summit, though at this point it's less of a cornice, and more of a steep, peaked snow bank. In one spot it's only about 2' high, so I can stand on solid ground on the west side, and peer over to see the other side of the snow, and the steep cliffs below. There doesn't appear to be any overhanging snow left on this cornice, but it's certainly still important to stay off it, to avoid a deadly slip down the other side! The low clouds are flowing through the area a bit, but after a nice lunch, the 360 degree views begin to appear. On the east side, I can see nearby Green Mountain and the Middle Fork Valley, with pyramid-shaped Mailbox Peak on the other side.
To the west, I can look down a few hundred feet at the top of Mount Si, and farther north are Blowdown Mountain, Crater Lake Peak, and Dixie Peak - summits that will definitely be on my list for another time - perhaps in a few weeks when more of the snow melts! The area to the north and northeast is mostly logged, but looking to the east I can make out Mount Garfield, Preacher Mountain, Big Snow Mountain, and many of the other notable peaks in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, along with the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie river valleys. Farther away, Rattlesnake Lake, Rattlesnake Mountain, and Tiger Mountain can be seen in the haze, along with a hint of Mount Rainier to the south.
Another hiker and his dog join me at the summit, having come up the new trail. We exchange trail conditions and stories - like me, this is his first season doing hikes in the winter or spring. It's a story I've heard many times in online forums, of people getting outside and hiking or climbing as a way of getting healthy and making the best of a worldwide pandemic. Even though I've been mostly solo hiking, it's been fun participating in several online hiking communities and sharing my adventures. I look forward to a time when friends and acquaintances can more readily join up for group hikes.
The south side of the summit block here is entirely melted out, and I take advantage of the rocks and my tripod to get a few portraits and a time lapse video at the summit. The peak here is more interesting than Mailbox, in terms of the topography, and the views are far better than those at Mount Si. I'm sure I'll be back here on a bluebird day sometime - it strikes me that this hike would be pretty good even on a hot summer day, with the shade of the trees and the cooling spray of the falls. I pack up my gear and begin the almost 4000' descent. I consider heading down the long way after my fellow hiker, but I decide it's worth a shot heading down Kamikaze to see how it goes. Plunging down the snowy section in the top 1000' is easy, and goes by very quickly. The snow has softened up nicely and the snow cushions my footfalls.
I come across one other solo hiker on her way up, and a couple hanging out at the 3400' viewpoint. I manage to navigate the knife-edge ridge without incident, making liberal use of my trekking poles to slow my descent. It turns out that the most hazardous part of the entire trail is the short section between the ridge and the falls. The plentiful scree through this steep section causes me to slip and almost land on my backside two or three times, but I make it to the falls without injury. No one is at the falls as I go by, and I can't help but stop for some more video of this amazing sight. I've heard that the falls dry up during the summer, but right now they are a plentiful torrent.
Below the falls, I take the 1/4 mile connector trail west to the new Mount Teneriffe trail. In this way, I can bypass most of the rocky section of the Teneriffe Falls trail, and also cross several streams and bridges on the new trail. It's a lovely hike down, and I'm thrilled that my legs and feet are holding up well, despite having come down such a steep trail. I would say this is one of my new favorite hikes, at least among the "hard hikes" in the front country. It's great for conditioning, whether you choose the steep climb, or the longer endurance hike, and I look forward to returning.
Stats
Time: 7 hours
Distance: 8.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 3900'
Summits: Mount Teneriffe
Sights: Teneriffe Falls
Photos and Videos
360° Photo: Mount Teneriffe Summit
Stats
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