Easy Pass-Fisher Valley-Thunder Creek

My friend Craig and I finally were able to coordinate this last weekend and do the Easy Pass to Thunder Creek route. I consider this a classic North Cascades route, and this was my 6th time going point to point in one day. I'm out of shape, though always trying to improve, and this was a pretty big effort for me right now.  It's about 24 miles, with a 2000 foot climb up to 6500 feet at the start, over Easy Pass. The rest of the way is mostly downhill.

Craig was terrific to hike with. Craig writes guidebooks, and so he's really at home on the trails. It was great to share the trail, talking about this and that. He also took some terrific photos, as part of his annual Hike-A-Thon effort for Washington Trails Association. He's pretty near his goal of raising $5000 for trails. Hopefully we get out soon again.

So...this day will forever be remembered as that time I got chased by a bear. We were jogging slow through the Fisher Valley, with Fisher Creek maybe 50 yards to our right. Suddenly, I heard snorting, and crashing, and saw ears and a head coming my way. So many thoughts, compressed into a second or two. I yelled "Bear! Bear! Bear!" I ran forward. Craig said not to run. I probably was about to stop anyway--i'm not outrunning a bear. The bear came up on to the trail. I was turned towards it. I took picture #1. Then another, with a flash. The bear took off in the other direction. The theory is the bear was a two year old, still full of energy and curiosity. Happy not to get hugged, this time.

Pictures below. The Fisher Valley is one of the most beautiful places I know. It's also away from the day hikers. I love its remote feel. A good place for bears and moose and such. We did see moose pellets, and I got stung by a yellow jacket or something.

Bob Dylan and the Band on the way up. 6:30 AM meet up at Colonial Creek. 10.5 hours on trail. Home by 10, after going back to Easy Pass to pick up my car.

Easy Pass to Thunder Creek

I hiked and jogged my way from Easy Pass to Thunder Creek in the North Cascades National Park on Saturday.  This was my fifth time completing this route, which is a personal favorite.  This year I was inspired to take this on by friends Ras and Kathy, who made this part of the UltraPedestrian Wilderness Challenge. I actually first met Ras when we took this on together some years back.

This is a point to point route, which requires something of a plan. Others who have been doing this have biked up Highway 20 to pick up their vehicle.  I was fortunate enough to connect with John, Chris, and Arya, who also were taking on this challenge on Saturday. We met at 4:00 AM at Colonial Creek, even before the birds chirp, and took Chris's rig up to Easy Pass. Chris was the superstar on the day, deciding to take on the route from Colonial Creek to Easy Pass, which is mostly uphill. This choice meant that we didn't have to shuttle the cars back at the end of the day. 

The route:  basically, three miles up to the top of Easy Pass, approximately 6500 feet. Then, down into the Fisher Basin, through one of the most beautiful subalpine valleys you'll ever find, with views of glaciers in the distance. A wild place, where wolves and wolverines wander. Fisher Creek reminds me of high Yellowstone creeks. The trail then descends into old growth forest, paralleling the creek, mostly descending. At Junction, you bend up into the Thunder Creek valley, for about ten miles until the Colonial Creek campground. The full route is about 24 miles.

I don't move fast these days, due to various infirmities and lack of overall training. I knew I'd be ok, as long as I managed the heat, which reached the 90s by the end of the day. The fast trail runner can knock this out in five to eight hours, maybe quicker. The footing isn't always smooth, though long stretches, including most of the last ten miles, is soft and fast. 

A quiet climb to Easy Pass, with the sun casting shadows on the peaks.  I stopped to examine the wild blueberry bushes, the thistles, high alpine ferns. This trek is terrific for nature students, because it travels above treeline on an East facing Cascade slope, all the way down to a westside lower old growth valley.  It is filled with mushrooms, golden larches, ancient cedars, and glacier fed creeks. The water of the creeks is milky, then jade green, and crystal clear.  Having done this a few times, I would say the best time is in September or October, when the larches are turning golden and the mushrooms are yellow, red, and purple.

I found a photo-friendly hoary marmot on the drop into Fisher Basin. This marmot seemed to be giving grouse a run for the money in the most likely to be caught with my bare hands category.  Just hanging out, eventually Mr./Mrs. Marmot dropped into a hole, and then came out again after I hit a switchback. 

The trail down into Fisher Basin has a bit of erosion, but is clear. The trail through Fisher Valley was occasionally bushy, but mostly is the delightful path through a field of grasses, berry bushes and fireweed. I ran into a few backpackers who were doing an eight day tour of the North Cascades, having started at Rainy Pass and looped all the way to Easy Pass. Two of them were wearing the same Montrail shoes I had on, which I thought was cool, since they had full-week packs.

There is plenty of water on the trail. Bugs are out right now. Stopping in some sections guaranteed a meeting with those biting fly types.  

The sun was starting to cook, so dropping into the forest was good, after Fisher Basin. The trail here is rooty, but pleasant, with the occasional evidence of mudslide, and pullout spots along the creek.  There are a number of log crossings here, but nothing unmanageable.

The Park Service is putting serious efforts into this trail this year.  There are several new log bridge crossings, which are terrific. In the past, a couple of the creeks have posed a bit of a challenge to cross, and one high log crossing last year didn't have a rail.  The engineering and care on these bridges is terrific, and its pretty cool to stand above the small waterfalls they span.  The trail from Cosho down also has had some serious clearing--not nearly as bushy as in the past. I ran into a crew who were out there working. Kind of strange hearing a chainsaw running 15 miles away from the nearest road, but I'm glad for their work.

Lots of moss, as you descend. Lots of green, green moss.

I also ran into Chris as he made his way up to Easy Pass. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes. My hat is off to you Chris--quite the effort.

I was spent by the time I reached Junction. The sign at Junction says it is 9 miles to Diablo from there, but it sure feels like a long nine miles, and the National Park Service site says it is 10 miles. The Thunder Creek Basin trail is gorgeous, marked by big trees, the jade colored McCallister Creek, and occasional views of glaciers. I stopped at a couple creeks to cool off along the way, and soon enough I was strolling along the Thunder Creek trail, by ancient cedars, into Colonial Creek campground.

A spectacular day, with clear skies, warm to hot temps, clear trails, new friends, and plenty of adventure. Love the North Cascades.

Easy Pass Fall 2010

Sipping on coffee, reflecting on a nice day in the North Cascades yesterday. Friends Kevin, Linda, Jamie and I ran the Easy Pass to Colonial Creek route, a 25 mile, three valley adventure through the heart of the park. I’ve blogged about this exact route before, as this is my third time doing it in the past year or so, and so I’ll keep this short. But initially, I’ll just say—there is good cause to return here, again and again.

Saturday was a cold one. We had snow on the ground, all the way up the 3.5 miles to Easy Pass, and we were chilled, hiking in the shadows of the peaks. Last year was colder, but it never really warmed up this year, as it eventually did last year.

On top of Easy Pass, the larches are golden, beautiful against a deep blue sky. It looked to me like peak was a week ago, but there was plenty of gold hanging from their gnarled, winter-tested limbs. The huckleberries too were red, probably having also peaked a week ago. Frosted ferns, mountains dusted with snow. The land is getting ready for winter. At the lower elevations, the forest floor was carpeted with deep green moss, the trail cutting a soft, magical line through this sea of green, alongside old growth cedars and the clear Fischer and Thunder Creeks. Fairy tale land--Hansel and Gretel came up.

October is mushroom season in the northwest, and so we spent a lot of time spotting different types of gilled mushrooms, coral fungi, conch shells on conifers, log jellies, and spine fungi. Frankly, this was my chief interest in going here this weekend. I actually sampled three different types, all of which were interesting. I didn’t eat a ton, as I didn’t want to be the trail runner who died of mushroom poisoning. But I was pretty pleased in my confidence level at identifying a few edibles. Most of the color spectrum was represented.

I didn’t really run that great. The cold made it hard to loosen up, and I puttered a lot, looking at mountains, glaciers, fungi, and brush. Still, 25 or so miles. Running down—and there’s a ton of down on this run—tests my back a bit more than flats or ups. I was really stiff at the end. Speed wasn't a problem—we got done with plenty of light, and it was just a great day in the high backcountry. By evening, I was watching the Huskies beat the Beavers, with a pizza.

More Easy Pass-Colonial Creek photos here.