2025.3.1. Hidden Lake Lookout

3/1, Saturday, blue sky. 8 of us met at 5am, so early that no bus goes there yet. I rode my bike and downloaded the BikeLink app to store it in a bike locker. I reserved for 15 hours, expect to be back by 8pm.

This year, the snow was so little, we were able to park right at the start of the scramble. (My last 2 trips here, we had to park 1 mile out). The lower section in the woods is quite steep. Once clear of the trees, only one short section is steep. But the snow is in excellent sticky condition, very stable.

I've been to Hidden Lake Peak in winter twice, but this is my first time to the lookout in winter. More or less the same all the way to the saddle, which has an excellent view of the lake and the peaks beyond.

We waited for the 2 skiers to catch up for a long time, and gave up on them. No one expect this little snow. They had only ski boots, which is terrible on the steep forest slope.

Got down from the saddle, traverse a semi steep slope (thanks to the thick snow) to the ridge beyond the cornice, so we could go up. Reached the lookout a little after 12:30pm.

Great view from inside the lookout too. We were surprised to find many provision inside. The door was jammed open by snow. Two in my group loved it so much, that they tried to convince the rest of us to stay the night here. We started cleaning up the snow, so we could close the door. Filled 3 buckets with snow, and set them by the window to melt in the sun. It's above 60°F inside!

There's a big rock next to the lookout, which marks the highest point here. Some of us scrambled up to take photos. Great view looking down all the way to the saddle, where we found 3 more people there. An hour later, 2 showed up. I happened to have met one of them before. They prepared to sleep in the lookout, had all the gear for the night, except for tent. They also informed us that the 2 skiers in my group gave up just above tree line, didn't even make to the saddle. Soon, another person arrived. He brought a tent, so pitched it under the rock. There's cell signal at the saddle and at the lookout. We sent message to the 2 skiers in our group, but didn't hear from them. They were probably already below the treeline, no more signal.

I brought a chair out to sit in the sun. We waited for the sunset. Those who were prepared were melting snow, cooking dinner. We had nothing. Getting hungry. I ate all my food, except for one bar (for tomorrow). Someone found a bag of trail mix and a bag of cashew in the lookout. I ate quite some salty cashew. My legs were cramping up. Need salt and more drink. I put some cash in the envelope in the lookout, read the log book for comments, while away the time. Later 4 young hikers arrived, one on ski. They cowboy-camped to the south of the lookout, only one of them had a bivy. The sunset was somewhat disappointing: thick clouds to the west blocked the setting sun.

In the lookout, the 6 of us arranged to spend the night. 4 on the bed, lying cross sideways. Can probably fit one more. There were 3 quilts, 2 sleeping bags. The mattresses are wet, so we put one quilt above the mattress. 2 share one quilt on the bed. 2 on the floor in sleeping bags. The 2 of the other group had their own sleeping bags and pads. They stayed on the floor. We can probably fit one more on the floor, still leaving a path to walk to the door. By 6pm, it was dark. The 8 of us played a game using the paper from the log book. It was hillarious.

The stars were great. Could see light pollution both to the north and south. No moon. I had trouble sleeping, with all the noise. But I must have slept, because the next morning, I wasn't too sleepy.

3/2 Sunrise was surprisingly pretty. We didn't expect anything, because the forecast called for overcast, if not rain. The clouds shifted in and around, made it quite mystical. 40°F inside the lookout.

I filled my water bottle with the melting snow in the pots, ate my one last bar. We headed down. The snow is firmer. We followed our own steps out, because, at time it was whiteout. One of us stayed behind with the guy in tent, so he could get a ride back. The other 5 of us barely could fit in one car with all the gears. It was straightforward. Took only 2.5 hours to get back to the car. Didn't glissade at all. At the car, there was a note left by our 2 skiers. They waited for us until 7pm.

Our driver was so hungry, that we stopped at 2 restaurants before landing at Moe's in Darrington. They were closed this early on Sunday. Moe's had a very nice backyard, with view of Whitehorse. By then, the clouds were gone, another seemingly nice day ahead.

Back to the P&R. I was more than 16 hours past due for my bike. At least, the lock was still locked. Fetched my bike without any issue (a small penalty to pay).
Total less than 7 miles for 2 days! About 4000' EG.

2024.11.28. Thanksgiving Day

11/28, Thursday. My planned trip fizzled out due to an unexpected event. The large turkey lunch called for a walk to burn off some calories. Headed uphill to Kerry Park just before sunset. Surprised to see so many people. I had never seen this much crowd here. Great view of downtown and Rainier. Some clouds today, advertising a colorful sunset.

We walked to waterfront for sunset, a lot less people. Excellent color today. Olympic mountains are clear.

During this long weekend, painted my old home, did a lot of shopping online.

2022.2.20. Capilano River + Stanley Park

2/20, Sunday. Partly sunny. Took the bus via 2nd Narrow Bridge, change towards Grouse Mountain. There were 3 boys in ski jackets catching the same bus. We got off at Cleveland Park (part of Capilano River Regional Park. Visited Cleveland Dam, only the outside. Odd, not much water spill today. Capilano Lake is placid. No view of snow-capped mountains, so not as pretty as the lakes to the east, like Pitt Lake, Alouette Lake.
Walked down to the hatchery (closed). The river here is pretty enough. Plenty trails here. A couple of foot bridges cross the narrow river which join the trails on both banks.

Took the bus back to downtown, via Lions Bridge. Walked back into Stanley Park. Looped around the SE part of the park. Quite a lot of people today. Views of snowy mountains to the north, and skyscrapers to the south. Very pretty. With enough clouds, that we saw a faint rainbow for a long time.

Walked a lot today. Exhausted.

2020.3.29. Kerry Park

3/29, Sunday. Weather turned out much better than the forecast. Partly sunny. Walked up to Kerry Park. Quite a few people here. Olympics Mountains are quite clear, but too cloudy to the south. Good view of the city, as always.

2nd ave next to the park has 2 rows of cherry trees. Now full of blossom.

Took Warren Ave up, has 2 short sections of stairs. Only met one person. An good option for exercise. I even sweated a bit. Queen Anne ave has many people, better to avoid. On the way down, I took 1st ave, and this set of winding stairs.

I continued my walk to Trader Joe's for some grocery. A line outside to limit number of shoppers inside the store -- a good idea. But I don't understand why they still have employees stocking the shelves during shopping hours, which was to increase interaction with shoppers -- not a wise policy at this time (update on 4/10: fewer employees inside the store). Still quite crowded, as in any other grocery stores. No self-checkout here.

2019.10.26 Park Butte and Scott Paul

10/26, Saturday. Left in the cloudy morning, full sun once we were on hwy-20. A little breezy.

Saw this grouse hunting "mailbox" at a turn on Bake Lake Road. It had no wings or tails, but an empty soda can and some debris.

A nice bridge a few steps from TH over Sulphur Creek. After ~2 miles, snow and mud, and a few easy creek crossing and the main Rocky Creek crossing, we took to the left for Park Butte / Railroad Grade trail. About 0.4 miles, enter Morovitz Meadow, there, another trail junction. We took to the right on Railroad Grade trail (also the climbing route). Had lunch on a low ridge, with excellent view.

The original plan was to hike the loop of Scott Paul. So we returned to the junction at mile 2. After a short decent, the trail bends north with a great view of Baker and the impending crossing of Rocky Creek. Here, boot tracks stopped. No one had ventured here since the snow. The 2 platforms of the both ends of a non-existing bridge is a clear sign where to go. After crossing the bridge, we made our way up. Trail is covered with snow, but can still make out where it is for awhile. Not sure what lays ahead, and the short day light, we decided to turn around and go to Park Butte instead, because of the steady stream of hikers heading/headed that way. That trail is well trodden.

Back at the 2 mile junction, heading up to Park Butte Lookout. All along very scenic. The 1/2 mile was very windy. When I got to the lookout, there were 1 dog and 6 people there already, playing a board game. This sign of wifi is hilarious.The view on the deck is superb. But you have to walk around to get all 360° view. A guy with his dog decided to camp below the lookout next to a tree.

Sunset when we got back at Schrieder Meadow. Couldn't find a good spot to take a photo. A little swampy, a couple of ponds. 2 hours drive back to Seattle, no traffic. Wet boots and dirty gaiters.

2019.9.28-29 Yellow Aster Butte - Winchester Mt - Excelsoir Pass

9/28, Saturday. Cloudy. Very lucky this weekend that I got a ride just one block from my home. Met Jai, this event's host at 7am in Lynnwood. When we arrived at Yellow Aster Butte (7.5 mile RT, 2550'EG) ~9:30, there was already a line of cars. Snow on trees. Lots of people and dogs. Saw a couple of pink penstemon earlier on trail. Later some purple aster. Still some huckleberry to pick. Frosty! Instead of fall color, we landed in a winter wonderland. It even snowed a bit. Snow was too bright, all the other colors were compromised. Very pretty.

The camping area, where all the tarns are, looked very cold. It was also quite windy today, as soon as we left the trees, which is quite early on. I had to put away my umbrella. No hiding place for bio break: too many hikers on the trail. Surprised to see quite a few people with large backpacks.

Going up the butte itself was a bit slippery. There was a traffic jam on 2 short steep sections. I wore micro spikes, so fairly easy going up and down. Most folks were not prepared for the early winter here. I saw one guy in shorts and sandals, bare feet! At least he put on socks coming down.

We were back at the car ~2:30pm. Less snow than morning. We continued on the road, now quite deteriorated. Twin Lakes are ~1000' higher, so a lot of snow. Quite pretty. Established tent pads, picnic tables. Saw two tents on the strip between the 2 lakes, somewhat exposed. A dozen cars. A little hail. Cold. I put on a down vest. Repacked, and we hiked up Winchester Mountain. I hoped to sleep inside the lookout, so didn't take my tent. If the lookout was full, I planned to hike down and camp here, at the lakes, assuming it'd be a couple of degrees higher than the summit, which is 1300' higher.

The trail is well made. 1.7 mile is easy. When I arrived at the lookout, there were already 2 parties, 5 people + 2 dogs settled in. Jai decided to camp outside. He brought a 0°F bag. Soon 2 more people showed up. We managed to squeeze 9 people + 2 dogs in the small room, two sleeping halfway under the table. With this many warm body, it's surprising how cold it was inside. The snow dragged in by the door became sold ice on the floor.

We were lucky that the clouds parted a bit, and the sun was setting under the clouds. One of the best sunset I ever witnessed. Everyone got out of the cabin to stare at the glowing scenery.

At night, another couple arrived. They set up their tent behind the cabin. I was cold in my 20°F bag.

9/29, Sunday. No sunrise. Light snow. Took awhile to pack up Jai's tent. His stakes were frozen with the rocks he used to anchor. Cooked hot water to pour on them. Still one was stuck. Hiking down was straight forward. Less visibility than yesterday. It was snowing.

Our original plan for Sunday is Goat Mountain nearby. Considering the weather, we drove back out. As the elevation lowered, we left winter, and returned to autumn. Took Excelsior Pass trail. Starting elevation is 1800'. We filled water at this cascade, about a mile in. No more water until near the pass.

The 4 miles in the woods is a bit boring. Finally the trail breaks out into a nice meadow, filled with huckleberry. Great fall color. Little streams. Snow and muddy at times. The pass is beautiful. A bit windy. Met more hikers coming from Damfino Lake. We walked west up a small butte, before returning. 3500' and 4.9 miles one way. Another good workout. I wish the weather were better and I had more time to explore, maybe walk all the way to Welcome Pass. There are trails going all 4 directions from the pass.

Back at home ~8pm.

2019.9.16. Yukon in 9 Days. Part 3/5 - Keno City

Day 5, 9/16, Monday. Smoke has largely gone in town. Inquired about road closure at the visitor center. The young lady there who was dressed in period costume suggested Keno City and its Signpost Hill. So there we went, armed with a detailed brochure of a self guided tour.

First, drove to Midnight Dome viewpoint. Excellent view of the confluence of Klondike River into Yukon River. We were, maybe 2 weeks too late, for the best color. The better half of the leaves of paper birch had fallen, so less golden on the branches, but very golden on the ground.

Next, we visited briefly Beaver Creek Historical Complex, a Park Canada branch. Now closed for the season. Some period buildings with demo if open.

Stopped by Air North counter, hoping to remove the first leg of my baddie's return flight tomorrow to Whitehorse, because I decided to drive to Whitehorse, due to the rainy forecast for the rest of the week west of the St Elias mountain range. Instead of my original plan of visiting Wrangell-St Elias N.P. to Kluane N.P. No luck at the ticket counter. I really don't understand why airlines don't let you abandon one leg of your connection. Save them fuel and hassle.

As we approached Stewart Crossing, it got more smoky, despite of the light rain. The rocky roadside by the bridge is full of graffiti. The one hut visitor center was already boarded up for the season. Outhouse next door.

Now on the Silver Trail to Mayo. All paved. Mayo is a small town, by Stewart River. Still light rain. Liquor store was closed. Bought some grocery. The only motel in town was full. Checked into Rimrock Inn east of the town, managed by the First Nation cooperative. The Manager has a Scottish accent.

The pavement stops soon after Mayo. Scenery gets better: more mountainous. Saw a coyote trotting along the road. Passed the defunct mining town of Elsa, access road blocked.

Keno is a town of population 12. Quite a few more rundown buildings, all in the little brochure, but don't look as good in real life. The best looking building is Corp/Ryan Cabin, an adjoined cabin duplex for partner and friends Ernest Corp and David Ryan. Now a public event space of the mining museum. We arrived at 5pm, everything was closed except for the "hotel", whose bar was open. The mining museum is supposed to be a good visit, which has multiple buildings, one has an outdoor mural of Ken's early days based on archival photos. It houses a Keystone diamond drill, an overburden drill, a portable sawmill, early excavators, transportation machinery and metal smith tools.

Drove to Signpost Hill. The 11Km road is quite rutted, slow going in my economic rental car. On the way saw a mining site in operation. The scenery gets better as we get higher. There's no one else here. United Keno Hill Mines erected the original wooden signpost in the 1950s, when they hosted a group of visiting scientists for the International Year of Geophysics. Each sign names a city represented by a delegate at the symposium, and shows the location's distance and direction from Keno. Next to the signpost is a memorial to Alfred Schellinger, a mining engineer, assayer and geologist, who first came to the district to inspect Bouvette's new discoveries on behalf of Yukon consolidated Gold Corporation. He staked the Keno claim on what became known as Keno Hill on July 29, 1919. We stopped the car a bit beyond due to bad road, and walked to the end. Many trails and tracks crisscross, many claims. Great view of the surrounding hills despite of the clouds. There's even a dilapidated cabin here, which we walked through! Wandered around for about an hour. Quite chilly here.

Drove back to Mayo for the night. On the way, not a bad sunset at Five Mile Lake around 8pm.

Researching hikes in Kluane National Park well into the night. Found http://yukonhiking.ca/ to be the most useful, which includes hikes in the neighboring areas in BC and Alaska. I saved some hikes in Kluane and Haines Pass south of Kluane.