Alpine Washington

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...

Another dry day in January calls for another hike! I'm continuing my theme of visiting the North Bend area peaks today with a visit to Rattlesnake Mountain, sometimes referred to as Rattlesnake Ridge. Like Tiger Mountain, this is one that everyone drives by all the time. Unlike Tiger Mountain, not many people visit this particular trail, though there are throngs of visitors at the far eastern end of it at Rattlesnake Ledge. My hike today starts at Snoqualmie Point, which is at the western edge of the mountain at about 1000' elevation. This mountain dominates the southwest skyline of North Bend, and I'm hoping for some good views from the top. It was cold rain in the lowlands last night, and from the drive up I can tell that amounted to snow in the mountains at about 1500'. Mount Si, Mailbox, and Rattlesnake look like one of those black and white cookies with light on one half and dark on the other. I park at the trailhead and am a bit apprehens...

The January weather this year has really been spoiling us, and clear skies call for hikes with big views! I finally decide that it's time to take on the challenge of Mailbox Peak. I even manage to persuade Jeannie to join me, which is great since neither of us have attempted this summit before. Mailbox Peak is the stuff of legend in the local hiking community, with the old trail being infamously bad, and the new trail being much gentler but long in the tradeoff. Harder than its neighbor Mt. Si, the old trail on Mailbox gains 4,000' in 2.5 miles. Our plan is to go up the old trail, but then down the new trail to save a bit of wear and tear on our knees and feet. As we head past North Bend and near the trailhead, I have butterflies in my stomach, which is an unusual sensation before a hike. Will we be able to make it to the top or will I run out of steam? Such is the reputation of this mountain that it inspires fear and uncertainty in those who have not conquered it. Nonetheles...

After slacking off a bit around the new year with some easy local hikes, I decide it's time for some elevation. The weather forecast is for dry weather, which is a treat after what seems like weeks of rain over the holidays. I make a plan to climb Mount Si, which I haven't done in almost 20 years. With COVID still going strong, I decide to take the old Mount Si trail to get some more solitude. While unmarked, this trail is hardly obscure - it seems like half of the people who post trip reports are doing it this way. Still, it will be a new way to the top for me, and if the conditions are right, I might even be able to climb "the haystack" to the true summit. I have climbed Mount Si at least three times before, but have only been up the haystack once. I set out from the Little Si trailhead at about 9:45, after a morning dental appointment. It's actually quite warm and dry, though I'm prepared for anything at the top. At the second intersection on ...

The Alpine Lakes are all snowed in, and avalanche danger is possible in the high country, so I've continued my search for other hikes that are closer to home, or to sea level. Today's goal is to summit Mount Washington, which is just outside of North Bend and across I-90 from the ever-popular Mailbox Peak. Apart from the fact that I've never done it, I've chosen Washington mainly because I know it's less crowded than other hikes in the area. We shall see if that turns out to be true. I hop in the car after a rather lazy start to Sunday morning, and arrive at Olallie State Park and the trailhead at about 11:30. After a brief walk on the Palouse to Cascades Trail (formerly known as the Iron Horse Trail), the Mount Washington trail veers uphill and gets down to business. It starts out steep and rocky, and I think rocks may be a theme today. Before long, I pass a magnificent cave someone has labeled on Gaia as "Club Paradiso". As I hike by, two people ar...