Indian Heaven (Bird Mtn) 03-Aug-2011
Posted: August 3rd, 2011, 5:04 pm
Today’s planned hike was a loop trip to Bird and Sawtooth Mountains in the Indian Heaven Wilderness. Should have checked the SNOTEL sites first. After parking at the Placid Lake TH, I headed up Tr 29 toward the lake and encountered the first snow within the first quarter mile.
It wasn’t too bad, so I kept on to Placid Lake, which was just as flat as advertised.
Trail 29 had patches of snow on it but could be easily followed until about 0.5 mi past its junction with the Chenamus Lake Trail. There, at about 4400’, the trail mostly disappeared under 2-6 feet of hardpacked snow. At 4720’, the trail skirts the S side of a small, unnamed lake, which was still almost completely covered with snow.
After that I’d catch glimpses of 2 foot sections of the trail but otherwise it was all snow. Just to show how fickle things can be, there were several long (100-200’) sections that were completely snow-free.
Just before it reaches the PCT, Trail 29 crosses some open meadows which, in a normal year, would be hosting lots of young huckleberry bushes but instead are still melting out.
I eventually reached the PCT only to find that it was having some issues with snow as well.
At this point I decided that a 15 mi loop trip - consisting of mostly route finding through snow - wasn’t going to work and instead climbed directly up to the summit of Bird Mtn, the 2nd highest point in the wilderness. Surprisingly, there was less snow the higher I climbed – even in the trees. Like Lemei Rock to the S, Bird Mtn offers great views in all directions. St Helens was hiding in the clouds,
as was Rainier (Sawtooth Mtn is the rocky point near the middle of the picture),
but Adams was fully exposed,
and Hood was visible over the ridge that connects Bird Mtn with its satellite peak (Pt 5618) to the S.
I headed back to the TH over meadows still covered with snow wondering how it might affect this year’s huckleberry crop?
I could hear streams running but could rarely see them because of the snow.
While the loop didn’t work out this time, the hike up Bird Mtn on such a nice, clear day was worth it. And, despite preparations including industrial strength DEET and a head net, I didn’t encounter a single mosquito the whole day! Some pesky flies yes, bloodsuckers no. I’ll try for the loop again in October assuming the snow has melted by then(?). 7.3 mi RT, 1700’ gain.
It wasn’t too bad, so I kept on to Placid Lake, which was just as flat as advertised.
Trail 29 had patches of snow on it but could be easily followed until about 0.5 mi past its junction with the Chenamus Lake Trail. There, at about 4400’, the trail mostly disappeared under 2-6 feet of hardpacked snow. At 4720’, the trail skirts the S side of a small, unnamed lake, which was still almost completely covered with snow.
After that I’d catch glimpses of 2 foot sections of the trail but otherwise it was all snow. Just to show how fickle things can be, there were several long (100-200’) sections that were completely snow-free.
Just before it reaches the PCT, Trail 29 crosses some open meadows which, in a normal year, would be hosting lots of young huckleberry bushes but instead are still melting out.
I eventually reached the PCT only to find that it was having some issues with snow as well.
At this point I decided that a 15 mi loop trip - consisting of mostly route finding through snow - wasn’t going to work and instead climbed directly up to the summit of Bird Mtn, the 2nd highest point in the wilderness. Surprisingly, there was less snow the higher I climbed – even in the trees. Like Lemei Rock to the S, Bird Mtn offers great views in all directions. St Helens was hiding in the clouds,
as was Rainier (Sawtooth Mtn is the rocky point near the middle of the picture),
but Adams was fully exposed,
and Hood was visible over the ridge that connects Bird Mtn with its satellite peak (Pt 5618) to the S.
I headed back to the TH over meadows still covered with snow wondering how it might affect this year’s huckleberry crop?
I could hear streams running but could rarely see them because of the snow.
While the loop didn’t work out this time, the hike up Bird Mtn on such a nice, clear day was worth it. And, despite preparations including industrial strength DEET and a head net, I didn’t encounter a single mosquito the whole day! Some pesky flies yes, bloodsuckers no. I’ll try for the loop again in October assuming the snow has melted by then(?). 7.3 mi RT, 1700’ gain.
