Lake Cushman was an unusual color today, perhaps from all the snow melt.
Today's track log is the yellow one.
Hiking again at last. I made it to the turn around point in no time. 4-5 feet of snow at the lower Ellinor trail head.
Since the first Bridge is out I thought I would use the bridge on the paved road and then bushwack to the trail but the Mount Rose Trail Crew has marked the route from the road to the trail. Thanks guys!
I had company on the connector trail and that has only happened once before. With Stair case
still closed the Big Creek campground is attracting the crowds instead.
I decided to practice my drawing skills at the look out, soon I was joined by a hiker from Gig Harbor. We chatted for a bit and then he took a nap in the sun on the bank below the bench I was sitting on.
Bright and beautiful day for a hike. It felt good to get out again.
6.25 miles with 1,800 feet elevation gain.
20 miles on my new shoes. I'm keeping track of this so I can gauge how fast they wear out. But I left this pair in my Jeep for two weeks and they were wet the entire time, I think that will shorten the life of these shoes.
Snake
Salamander
Banana
Lower Trail head sign.
Road at the lower trailhead
Lots of snow on the lower Ellinor Trail
Trillium
Not too many mushrooms this time of year
Hi, Mossy Mom,
ReplyDeleteI routinely read your posts on WTA and am wonering if you've been up Ellinor since your April posting? I'm thinking of hiking up this weekend but with temps in the 80's, I am curious what the conditions might be like (slushy, muddy, lots of snow still, etc.)? Last WTA post from 5/12 wasn't terribly helpful so I was hoping you might possess more info. Thanks!
Riri
Hi Lily,
ReplyDeleteI hope you find this comment, I don't have an email address for you. I have not been back. I would suspect that driving to the lower trail head is still impossible but the snow should be melting fast. To get an idea of how fast snow is melting in the Olympics you can try looking at the stream levels at : http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wa/nwis/uv?station=12061500