Mt. Catherine 1/28/2012

Trail blazing!! (Top to Bottom: Alistair, Jan, Rena and Bao)

Alex

Me (photo taken by Mike)

Keechelus Lake

Mt. Catherine

Reassessing our direction.

Those clouds would later bring rain!

Frog Lake

Me, followed by Bao, Mike and Alex as we pass by frog lake. (Photo taken by Rena)

Left to Right: Bao, Rena and Alex

Alex and Rena pass by Frog Lake.

Me (Photo taken by Jan)

Bao blazes up the hill.

Mt. Catherine almost (our false summit). Left to Right: Bao, Me, Rena, Mike and Alex; not pictured Alistair and Jan)

Headed back down.

Lunch time wouldn't be complete without the esspresso.

Jan pours the first cup!

View as we pass by the cross-country skiing trails.

.....and then the rain came.

Looking back towards Mt. Catherine

Compass check to make sure we're still headed in the correct direction.

Pinwheels that formed in the snow.

Last remaining downhill before hitting the roadway that will lead us back home.

Our topographic map!

Today we attempted to summit Mt. Catherine. We failed  to make the summit by 893ft as we had hit our agreed upon return time of 1pm. We had agreed on this time as bad weather was supposed to hit around 4pm and we did not want to take the chance of getting stuck in it. We did encounter some light rain on our way back down but fortunately made it to the car before the sky really opened up. I think everyone was a little disappointed in the end that we were so close to the summit yet  we were unable to obtain it. But as Ed Viesturs says “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” 

Start time: 9:26 am
End time: 3:45 pm
Total time: 7 hours 1 minute
Distance: 7.86 miles
Speed: 1.1 miles/hour
My Peak Elevation: 4,159 ft
Peak Elevation to Mt. Catherine: 5,052 ft
Elevation Gain to Mt. Catherine: 1,300ft

Driving Directions:

From Seattle, drive east on I-90 to exit 54 (signed "Hyak").  At the bottom of the ramp turn right onto Hyak Drive East. Park in the lot for Hyak Ski area (on right). To begin hike leave parking heading north on Hyak Drive East. Then turn left (west) onto Snoqualmie Drive. Walk for about a tenth of a mile to where the telephone wires cross the roadway. Begin hike here headed west (Iron Horse Trail). At about 3200ft start heading sw toward Mt. Catherine.

*Please note these are directions during the winter months when you may be unable to drive up the forest service  road 9070. This hike will be almost twice as long as it is during the summer months. 

For directions during summer please refer to this link: Mt. Catherine hike

Melawka Lake 1/27/2012

Headed down the closed roadway to the Denny Creek Trail-head.

Mt. Baker- Snoqulamie National Forest

Trail-head sign.

Bridge crossing was a bit intimidating with all that snow.

Philip looking up at the I-90 overpass.

I-90

Philip, forging ahead trying to make a trail.

Coming up to Denny Creek crossing.

"Denny Creek may be cold, fast and deep due to late melting snow pack. Wet rocks are very slippery. Use Caution."

Doesn't look like late melting snow pack is currently going to be an issue.

Philip looks for the best way to cross Denny Creek.

Keekwulee Falls

Smiles come free with a beautiful hiking day!

Denny Creek Crossing!

Keekwulee Falls

View up to Low Mountain.

Low Mountain

Denny Mountain and the Tooth.

A must have for this hike in the winter!

Snowshoe Falls with "The Tooth" in the background

Looking Back on the I-90 Corridor.

Denny Mountain

Phillip!

Me, taking a breaking after an exhausting avalanche shoot crossing.

My new hiking partners, Scarpa Charmoz GTX Mountaineering boots!

Headed back home.

I love the tiny icicles that form from the water running over the rocks!

Last view of the day!

 This was an amazing day! The sun was shining  and I had a great hiking partner. We attempted to hike up to Melakwa Lake but despite our best efforts we didn't make it all the way to the lake. We had not anticipated the heavy snow pack and therefore had neglected to bring snowshoes. Snowshoes would have been immensely helpful as we were post-holing most of the way. But despite our difficulty the effort was worth it. We had beautiful views, sunshine and good laughs.

We pretty much lost the trail after crossing under the 1-90 bridge  and then again after crossing Denny Creek. Fortunately, we had our map and compass to see us through. I definitely recommend checking the avalanche forecast and weather conditions on this hike during the winter as you do crossover a few avalanche chutes. Also an ice axe might come in pretty handy!

All in all though, even if you do not make it to the lake, the views of both Snowshoe Falls and Keekwulee Falls and surrounding mountains are worth the hike.

Start time: 9:43 am
End time: 4:44 pm
Total time: 7 hours 1 minute
Distance: 8.45 miles
Speed: 1.2 miles/hour
My Peak Elevation: 3,568 ft
Peak Elevation to Melakwa Lake: 4,600 ft
Elevation Gain to Melakwa Lake: 2,300ft

Driving Directions:

From Seattle drive east on I-90 to exit 47 (Asahel Curtis/Denny Creek). Turn left over the overpass and proceed to a T. Turn right and travel 0.25 mile to Denny Creek Road (FR 58). Turn left and drive approximately 2.5 miles, turning left on the paved road just after the Denny Creek Campground. The trailhead is at the road's end.

Please note: During the winter months the road is not plowed all the way to the trailhead. You will need to hike about a mile in to the trailhead.