Itinerary for 03-19-2011

Currently planning to go exploring  with Redwic from nwhikers.net  on a quest to locate and dominate Silo Mountain.

Silo Mountain is situated east of Cultus Mountain (behind it as viewed from College Way in Mt. Vernon looking eastward).  See map.

Access is via a DNR logging road heading south from the South Skagit "Highway" at Prarie Creek Road (just east of Day Creek Road).

Although it's a high mileage hike, route finding should be easy since it just follows the logging road, until it dead-ends a few hundered feet below the intended summit.  From there... well, we'll see.

We're meeting at the gated road at 8:00am and have dinner plans to connect with other nwhikers for dinner at 5:00 pm.  If we are late for dinner and no one has heard from us, then there's a good chance that something has gone unexpectedly wrong.

Previous posts mentioned doing a moonlight snowshoe after dinner.  Well, that depends on how many miles we put in during the day, how tired I am and how the weather shapes up.  Check back for an updated itinerary post from the road after dinner.

While you are waiting for the itinerary update or the trip report, fell free to browse my list of other Dumpster Dive hikes that I've done.

Happy Trails!!

~E

We're bringing bikes, boots & snowshoes.

Houston, We Have A Couple Problems

While trying to plan the upcoming hike day I decided to start researching the specifics of where/when I might be able to see the moon from a specific latitude/longitude point.

We found out the hard way that it's not as easy as a google web search. The moon was supposed to be there... but we never found it.  You can read about that adventure in the Skyline Ridge report from Feb. 19, 2011.

How hard is it to find a moon?  Really.

Anyway, my web search brought me to Heavens-Above, which provides a nighttime map of the sky for any specific lat/long location (so they claim).

Based on their sky map, it looks like the moon won't be making any appearances until about 9:00pm that night.  Can you spot the moon on the S/E horizon?  Coincidently, it is located about where the '9' would be on a clock.

Honey, I'm going to be home late.

If it weren't for the cold (and all that extra effort and planning), I'd consider snow camping.

Now, if only I knew how accurately that web site accounts for the surrounding peaks.

Based on their sky maps, the moon looks pretty low on the horizon... low enough that I'm worried it may only be visible from Artist Point/Huntoon Ridge. From Heather Meadows it could very well be blocked by Panorama Dome, Artist Point Ridge and Table Mountain.

Here is the sky map for midnight.  Now can you find the moon?  (deleted bad joke about Uranus)

Any Astronomy Experts out there... feel free to weigh in on the subject matter and help me out.
Tomorrow night I'll probably break out the GPS and see if I can't answer my own question with it right here at home.

There are a couple other problems I'm dealing with as well.

First, what to do with myself during the day?  I'm contemplating doing a little exploring of a few local lowland hikes that I've been meaning to check out for some time.  They're all just dumpster dives for the most part - nothing too spectacular about them other than they're 'new to me'.  Chances are that I'll end up in snow since all the hilltops have been under snow continuously for at least a couple weeks now.

My third and final problem is that my new coat arrived.  That's not a problem, except that I ordered a Medium instead of a Large.  Rumor has it that this frequently occurs on/around people's birthdays.  Especially if they are in their early 40's.

The medium doesn't fit comfortably, so it's being returned.  Unbelievably, they still have the same style and color in the "L".  With a lot of luck it will be here for a day of testing on Saturday.

As always, let me know if you're up for some outdoor recreation on Saturday the 19th.  It's just around the corner and the forecast currently promises 'less rain and a fair amount of sun'.  Cheers!!

Happy Trails!

~E

Kudos to GoLite

Here is a favorable shout-out to GoLite (who just happens to also be in the midst of a clearance of winter gear).

They went above and beyond the call of duty for a friend of mine to make right on a problem caused by website technical difficulties.

Give them a browse if you're looking for a deal on winter gear or looking for some new digs for spring.

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In other news... next hike is coming up in less than two weeks. If things go as planned the day will probably be spent on some new-to-me rural peaks in Whatcom/Skagit county followed by dinner with some nwhikers and then a moonlight snowshoe within sight of Mt. Baker.

Feel free to join me for the day or even just a portion of it.

Happy Trails!

Chasing The Moon On Skyline Ridge

Feb 19, 2011
After a fun and photo-filled hike to Wallace Falls, Rob and I headed up to Steven's Pass to undertake a nighttime snowshoe up Skyline Ridge.



Skyline Ridge is located at Steven's Pass on Hwy 2, across the highway from the Steven's Pass ski area.

There are pros and cons to night-time adventures along Skyline Ridge.

The downside to any kind of night-time adventure on Skyline Ridge is that it isn't really dark. The lights from the nighttime skiing at the ski area do a pretty good job of illuminating the scenery on the ridge. If you are seeking a snowshoe outing in the dark... then you'll have to wait until night skiing is over, or consider finding a different destination.

The updside to Skyline Ridge at night is its easy access from Hwy 2 and the fact that you quickly gain elevation to rise above the highway and trees.

There were three main incentives that prompted this particular night time outing.

1) The weather was cooperating. Virtually cloudless skies. Everywhere!
2) The moon was just beyond the 'full moon' status and the moonrise was scheduled for just a short while after sunset
3) Doing a nighttime snowshoe outing has been on my To-Do list for a couple years. Here was my opportunity!

Loaded with camera gear, and fatigued muscles from the earlier hike, we arrived at Steven's Pass around 4:30pm or so. Put on our warmest clothes, donned the snowshoes and began our ascent just as the Alpenglow started to become prominent.



Knowing that we didn't need to be back to the car before dark meant we could take our time on the ascent. Before we knew it, our route left the road and we began a straight line trek up the hill.



The views and scenery continued to improve as the the highway fell away with the light.



About a mile into our journey we came across a suitable location to set up our 'photo camp' and... wait.

Wait? Wait for what? Well, the moonrise of course.

Sitting around on a mountain ridge (wishing for a thermos of Starbucks) quickly led to discussion and speculation about the moonrise. Such a discussion might have sounded a little bit like this:

R: When was the moon going to rise?
E: Well, some weather website indicated moonrise was supposed to be at about 5:52pm.

R: Which direction would the moon be rising from?
E: Well, the East I guess. Over there (pointing in a generally eastern direction).

R: There seems to be a big ridge over to the east. Ya know, with a ski area on it. It looks pretty tall from here.
E: The 5:52 moonrise probably isn't taking into account that fact. We might have to wait a bit longer for the moon to rise 'that' far up into the sky.

R: A 'bit' longer?
E: Probably.

R: Yeah. That seems pretty logical. Hopefully a 'bit' is like, 5 mintues. Did you notice that it's a little cold out tonight?
E: Uh huh. Maybe you can find an App on your phone that will confirm the moonrise time?

R: Good idea. (Consults with high tech mobile device). Yep. Moonrise at 5:52. That's no help. Doesn't your GPS have this data on it too?
E: Hey! I think it does. Let me check. (Wipes frost off GPS, locates moon/sun icon). You're right! It says the moonrise is at 8:01pm. It also says 'current location'... maybe it's telling us that from our specific coordinates the moon will rise in ... about two hours.

================

Eventually we agree that we'll hang out and enjoy the scenery until 7:00pm or so and if there is no sign of the moon then we'll call it quits.

So, we took some pics while we waited.









Eventually we wiped the frost off our packs and our cameras, packed it up and called a night.

On the descent by headlight we made a quick visit to an Igloo someone had left standing. Very spacious and well constructed. A perfect place to overnight, but not tonight.

Back to the car, cranked up the heat and concluded the day with some good Thai food in Monroe.

GPS Route and Map:



Only about 2miles round trip and 580 feet of elevation gain.

Skyline Lake, at the top of Skyline Ridge, is a great winter destination for snowshoeing. I've been there numerous times with numerous people, including the founders of EverGreen Escapes. Pics and trip report for that daytime trip are available here.

Recommendations for people considering a nighttime snow shoe outing: Dress warmly from head to toe, bring even MORE clothes, bring a thermos of HOT beverages, something to sit on and try to figure out what time the moonrise might be for 'that' location. Don't forget the camera and the tripod too.

Next outing is March 19th. Depending on weather conditions, might try another night time snowshoe, this time to Artist Point.

Happy Trails!

~E