Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

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burnside
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Joined: November 10th, 2016, 8:52 pm

Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by burnside » May 13th, 2019, 10:34 pm

Last weekend I hiked Hamilton Mountain on the Washington side with no trace of snow, although I could see patches of snow across the way in Oregon. Still, with the warm weather we've been having I thought it would be worth a shot to see how passable Green Point Mountain would be in early May.

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Nick Eaton Ridge from viewpoint

I began hiking from the Herman Creek trailhead and continuing on #406 until forking off onto the Nick Eaton Trail #447. As was the case last year, much of the trail on Nick Eaton ridge is filled with dry needles, burnt bark, and downed limbs making the trail easy to lose if you're not focused. Once you hit the Gorton Creek trail #408, you enter the unburnt forest which has preserved much of the trail until you get to around 4,200' of elevation. At that point, it's snow up to the summit.

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Gorton Creek Trail

The depth of the snow varies from 2'-3' all the way to the top - all of it a hard, rippled snow. There is no trace of a trail to be found, so have GPS ready if you plan to do this hike since it's roughly 2 miles of snow crushing to the top. You'll also encounter bear tracks along the way although I did not spot any black bear on this day's adventure. Most of the climb is gradual until you get to the final 100' climb where you'll need to just find the safest way up to the top. Once at the summit, it's nice and clear of snow since it's been exposed to the sun for some time now. The view was spectacular and all mountains in the area were clearly visible including Mt. Ranier.

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Green Point Mountain Summit

On the way down I completed the loop by taking the Herman Creek trail all the way back to the trailhead. Fortunately, going downhill in the snow wasn't too bad since the descent was gradual. After about three quarters of a mile down from the summit at the Wahtum Lake Road junction all snow was gone. The rest of the hike down included rushing creeks and waterfalls from the season's snow melt.

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Camp Creek Falls

Always love taking this hike due to the uphill workout, solitude, and great views from the top. If you're up for a challenge, I highly recommend this loop. If you want to avoid dealing with any snow, wait til June.
Last edited by burnside on June 9th, 2022, 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Chip Down
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Re: Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by Chip Down » May 18th, 2019, 10:21 pm

I should have paid more attention to your report before I headed up there today.
Snow!
I figured it would be all gone.
I liked the challenge though.

Your first pic has me perplexed. Doesn't look like Hamilton, nor do I see anything consistent with GP across the way.

burnside
Posts: 23
Joined: November 10th, 2016, 8:52 pm

Re: Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by burnside » May 19th, 2019, 4:36 pm

Yeah, I don't think that snow will melt til mid June at this rate. Still, a good workout!

That first photo was taken from the viewpoint from the Gorton Creek trail right after the Ridge Cutoff Trail #437. So from the viewpoint I'm looking southeast at Green Point mountain.

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by Don Nelsen » May 19th, 2019, 5:39 pm

What you are seeing in the first photo is the higher portion of Nick Eaton Ridge. Green Point is hidden by Nick Eaton and not visible from Point 3152. Here is a photo I took earlier this year from the same spot looking at Nick Eaton (right of center.)

Image
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Chip Down
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Re: Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by Chip Down » May 19th, 2019, 7:33 pm

Aha!
I mistakenly assumed the pic was taken from Hamilton (my error, Burnside never said it was), and then Burnside's follow up explanation left me confused. I know exactly where that pic was taken, been there a few times, now it seems so obvious. Thanks Don!

A workout, indeed! Can't believe I'm actually a little sore today. That's not like me. If I go again (bet I will) I'll start a couple hours earlier, and do it on a rain-free day so I'm not hustling to beat the weather.

burnside
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Joined: November 10th, 2016, 8:52 pm

Re: Green Point Mountain - 5/12/19

Post by burnside » May 20th, 2019, 6:51 am

Don Nelsen wrote:
May 19th, 2019, 5:39 pm
What you are seeing in the first photo is the higher portion of Nick Eaton Ridge. Green Point is hidden by Nick Eaton and not visible from Point 3152. Here is a photo I took earlier this year from the same spot looking at Nick Eaton (right of center.)
Wow! Thanks for pointing that out. I always thought I was looking at Green Point.

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