Snow scramble up Hogsback express. Low visibility and we turned around at 5450' after 2 avalanches were heard and then seen coming in our direction down the north face of Cowboy.
Still lots of flower blooms and color all over the area! A great adventure. The wind was a force to be reckoned with!
11 experienced birders got together at Juanita Bay to exchange trip lead tips focused on birds and we saw 38 species on the morning with a red-breasted sapsucker and marsh wren as a few highlights.
An enjoyable scramble on a beautiful day which included 5 scrambling students and 1 basic climbing student. Snow conditions were quite good overall.
Well maintained trail through a lovely forest. Gentle switchbacks lead to small, clear lake with lots of places to sit & snack. .2mi side trail about a 1/4 of the way up leads to amazing views of the San Juans.
At 1,200 CFS with sunny deep blue skies and 75 degrees, this was the ideal day on the Middle Middle. Very fun after work pre-dinner float. The big holes, Cookie Monster and Meteor, were not in play at this level.
Alpine scramble up Cowboy Mountain with the Mountaineers was cut short due to avalanche risk and poor visibility.
A very pleasant day climbing an attractive mountain in a beautiful area.
Packrafted this beautiful river from April 21 - 25 with a flow of 1900, dropping to 1300 during our trip. At this flow, there were no Class IV rapids. Putin and takeout was very busy as perfect water levels but able to find camping and solitude once on the river.
Nice day, 60s, light winds. Saw several Racoons, some frolicinf sea lions, and a ratfish.
The Olympia Mountaineers sponsored four stewardship trips throughout April to help our wonderful Olympic National Forest recreation managers clean up and prepare five campgrounds for opening. Four Olympia Stewardship Leaders stepped up to make this happen with amazing participation from members of 5 Mountaineers branches, making this a great success.
Four of us enjoyed stellar weather and rare solitude on this popular trail and topped it off with lunch pizza at Edison's Terramar Brewstillery. 18 bird species and wonderful conversation with 3 mph start and 2.5 mph average pace.
This trip made for a long day from Olympia, but the views from the trail and the variety of wildflowers more than made up for time in the car - that and the ice cream stop on the way home!
Long day with great views of Index and a potpourri of obstacles towards Philadelphia summit
Good place to walk with bathrooms, ample parking and optional trails
Todd did a great job with a fun group of 6 CHS-2 hikers with a view of Rainier, banana slug, great conversation, and 16 bird species including a black-throated gray warbler, Pacific wrens, a raven, and some brown creepers. 2.5 mph pace felt easy for this strong group.
Warm day and cornices prevented a summit. Will have to come back in summer.
