Sunny Day with Quark 9-21-10

On a beautiful fall Tuesday I found myself with a day off of work and looking for a good hike. Luckily, Quark was in a similar situation. She quickly deemed it an "Emergency Hike" situation so we arranged to meet and carpool from Monroe to head east out on Hwy 2.

Quark promised me a beautiful trail through old logging roads being taken over by Mother Nature, some clearcut views of distant hills (weather permitting), a now flattened cabin, an old growth forest of Silver Firs and a peak.

What she didn't promise, or mention, were bears. Or hunters.

I had to promise not to reveal the location of this hike. Not because we're afraid of over use, but simply because the trail isn't an official trail... yet. It's just a matter of time. Soon.

So, for now, just enjoy the pics and the video. I'll let you know when Quark gives me the green light to release more info.

Here is Quark on the road, quickly being reclaimed by nature:


Quark in the Clearcut:


Fall Colors coming on:


More Fall Colors:


Bear Claw Marks just higher than eye level on a tree along side the trail, complete with peeling bark:

In fact, there were many signs of wildlife along the trail but we didn't have any sightings of large wildlife, or hunters; bear scat, big cat scat, bark peeled off trees, moss peeled off rocks in search of grubs and a spent shotgun shell or two here and there.
We did see a squirrel or two and heard some unique bird songs.

A collapsed Loggers Cabin:

Rumor has it this cabin was still standing and even livid in until the 1950's. That wasn't too long ago, if you were born in 1970. ;)

The amazing transparent hitchhiking Inchworm on my backpack:


Fresh Granite and Mushrooms:

Yes, fresh granite. Trail work managed to cut away into some granite - really interesting stuff and a lot different than what you may have in your kitchen. It could be that a small sample made its way into my backpack to show the kids at home.

Boulder Field:


A distant meadow with traces of fall:


A popular North Cascade peak in the distant between much closer peaks:


Funky Point reminds me of Coleman Pinnacle near Mount Baker:


Less zoom on the Peaks and Clouds:


Route Map:
Sorry... the route map is unavailable at this time. Please check back later. Members in good standing at nwhikers.net may be entitled to some sekrit info, if you show your membership card.

The Video (slide show of above photos, plus some real live video footage, with some music):


Happy Trails!

~E

PS: 9-18-2011: Adding a GPS route map, now that the trail has finally been officially opened. Woo Hoo! Route image is below, and here is a link to the press release. The official trail description doesn't seem to be online yet.