Pyramid Hill, first backpack of the year

 Back to the hill before the gates open and make hiking no fun.  I used to hate it when the gates shut and love it when they opened.  Now it’s the other way around.  Shut gates actually mean more hiking “trails” and closer to home.  For this overnighter I took the dial-a-ride.  There was not a good place to park, so dial-a-ride was the answer.

We were dropped off at about 11:30, so we had plenty of time to hike in.  We took our time stopping and different creeks and resting in the shade.  It was not very hot but our destination was very exposed and not really a fun place to be in the sun.

I tanked up on 3 liters of water and headed up the hill for real at 3pm.  I had another .75 of a liter of water waiting for me at the top that I had stashed up there the week before.  I know that we need 3 liters of water to get through the night comfortably.  That’s with me having two cups of tea and cooking breakfast and dinner with water and with Patches getting to drink all that she wants.

When we got to the top Patches tipped over her water bowl with her stupid cone.  I was glad to have the extra bottle of water.

I set up my pyramid; set up went well with my new longer trekking poles and the trekking pole extension.  The mid is heavy for what it is but it does set up very fast.  I feel misled by the fact that the weights listed on the website do not include everything you need for set up. Tarptent.com lists accurate in the field weights.  Oh well, at least my Pyramid is photogenic.  It’s a silnylon duomid, just right for me and Patches, but too small for me and my daughter.

Sunset was not that great, but I was there for star trails and sun rise.  After dark I did some star trails.  I don’t have a lot of star trail experience so I’m not the best at it yet.  Then the moon came up and cast a beautiful reflection on the canal.

Sunrise was kind of blah.  I did not get a lot of sleep as I was up half the night taking pictures, but the sleep I got was good.  I did not have any of my usual fear of camping alone and I think I only screamed one time when patches was moving in the bushes.  I find that I am less afraid when I camp way up high where the light and the views are better.  Also I think there are far less animals in the woods at a dry camp, so there is less noise in the night.

My ride back was not to pick me up until 5:30, so I had all day to hike out.  I packed up at about 9:30 and then went just around the corner to a spot that is less exposed.  I sat there for about an hour and read a book.   Then I hiked most of the way out before taking a break at a beautiful little creek just 200 feet off the trail. 

A couple of brush picker vans drove by, but each time I was in the woods so they did not see me.

I spent about 3 hours at the creek eating lunch, brewing coffee and reading a classic book about Pygmies.

My ride picked me up closer to my early time than my late time and I liked that.  I hate waiting next to the road with my backpack on, I feel so vulnerable. 

I think I got a lot of good pictures on this trip and that was the goal. This was not a wilderness trip up a pretty trail, but the view was great.  I took my cell phone with me since this was not a wilderness trip and it makes my bedridden terminally ill husband happy.

Ten miles with 800 feet elevation gain.

I want to go back again before the gates open up.

Moon rise over the canal all the lights Seattle, Tacoma and more in the background

First amphibian egg spotting of the year

Moon rise reflects off of the canal,exposed  more for the moon

Moon rise reflects off of the canal, exposed for the city lights

dog tired at sunset

Seattle peeking out behind Gold Mountain

chilly at sunrise

tanking up before heading up the hill

dog tired on the ride home

Pyramid Hill

Back up the mountain for more views.  I got sunburned and Patches received communications from aliens.

Pyramid Hill

A late start for this hike thanks to being given a last minute photo job.  Hit the trail at 10:30 and knew there was a need for speed.  Did 3 mph for the first hour to make up for lost time.  After the first hour the pace was more relaxed.

We climbed up a knob that is sort of attached to Buck Mountain.  The view on top of  Buck Mountain at the old look out site is totally obliterated by trees.  This little knob has been recently clear cut and a view of Price Lake seemed likely.

The road circles around the knob and the top of the knob as a few trees, but the view was from the road.  As we climbed up the road the views became impressive.  It looked like Lake Cushman, but soon it became clear that we were being treated to a sweeping view of the Hood Canal and Quilcene.  A view of the Hood Canal had not even been anticipated.  The view was grand!  All up and down the Hood Canal and over to the Cascades.  The Seattle skyline was not in view either due to fog or due to being blocked by Gold and Green Mountains.

Lunch was coffee and cheese and crackers, I also had 5 candy canes during the hike and that was it for my food.  It was  very light eating for me, but Patches enjoyed three peanut flavored power bars.  They can sometimes be purchased four for a dollar when they are expired; they are Power Bar brand bars.  Patches hates Clif bars but she will gobble up the Power Bar brand bars as long as they are not too cold for her to chew.

We headed back down the mountain and then cut into the woods for a brush crashing adventure.  We saved at least mile by brush crashing to the next road on the itinerary   There was a route to the lake that needed to be checked out.  At one point on the route a big rotten log fell onto patches back as she was going under it and she let out quite a yelp.  Was her let broken?  Nope, she was fine.  That was a close call though.

We made our way down to the lake on an off trail route.  The going was hard on me since we were quite tired and time was running short and hunger was setting in along with a foul mood.   We found a little bit of a shoreline but we did not stop for coffee.

A truck and drove up and down the road while we were up on Buck Mountain.  The truck left fresh tracks and broken ice.

We made it back to the gate at 5pm just as it was getting dark.  Patches went under the gate.  The gate swung open under my weight and took me for a ride.  What?  The gate was supposed to be shut and locked for the season.  The gate would not stay shut and the hour was late and exhaustion had set in, so the gate was left open.  

An email was sent to the DNR to let them know about the situation.

My goal was to get through this entire blog post without using the word “I”.

10.5 miles with 850 feet elevation gain

Looking down on Quilcene