North Cascades Trip Day 11 & 12

Monday, September 8 -- After breakfasting and disassembling our camp at Newhalem CG, we did a short walk on the "To Know a Tree Trail."  The walk was memorable because we were accompanied by a grouse for a few feet (when Betsy offered it a red huckleberry, the bird ate it with enthusiasm).  We also learned a few new facts about the big trees in the PNW.  For example, hemlocks would be the dominant trees in Washington forests if they were not regularly wiped out by fire.

BTW, the Newhalem CG was better than the one at Baker Lake -- it had flush toilets and sinks in the restrooms, and a covered picnic area with kitchen (probably useful on the wet side of the mountains).  It will be open for another week, though we could not make reservations for later than September 7th.  The snows have not arrived so they can stay open longer.

We next drove into the Seattle City Light complex (worker housing and shops), stopping at the Gorge Powerhouse.  We walked around the Ladder Creek Falls and Gardens located behind the powerhouse.  This is notable because it was the inspiration of JD Ross in 1928, then a "big wheel" with Seattle City Light.  He even had the plantings in the garden lit at night (to show off new technology), a practice that the utility revived in 1990s and continues today (from dusk to midnight).  Ross was also the first Administrator for BPA from 1937 to 1939, upon his death.  The Ross Lake and Dam (the upper of the three projects on the Skagit River) is named for him as is a BPA complex located in Vancouver, WA.  We viewed the inside of the powerhouse from a gallery, looking down on 3 original turbine generator units and 1 newer unit.

Note the tree growing on the side of the large stump.

Ladder Creek Falls.

A schematic of all 3 of the projects.

Gorge Powerhouse, with two units operating and salmon in the tailrace (which you can almost see).

We spent the rest of the day relocating to an AirBnB located in Darrington.  We drove downriver to Marblemount then, turned south along the Sauk River.  The river was latte colored, from the glacial till coming off Glacier Peak glaciers.  The till was being carried by the White Chuck River, which joins the Sauk River a few miles south of Darrington -- more on this later.  We arrived before check-in time at the rental and so we drove around the town -- it has a very large lumber mill, a ranger station, lots of one-story homes.  There is also a tavern, two beer pubs (both closed), a grocery store, one gas station, and, as we later came to know, a fabulous Mexican restaurant.  By check-in time we had to call to get instructions for opening a gate and the front door of the place we were staying.  It is uphill from the main town and is a large garage, with rather nice living space behind the garage and is fully equipped.  We have seen no humans at the adjoining house since arriving, but several deer graze in the adjacent meadow at twilight.

Tuesday, September 9 -- Today's adventure was a hike along Squire Creek in the Boulder River Wilderness Area.  We had breakfast at our AirBnB before starting out.  The trailhead is a few miles from the house up a road that is initially paved and wide enough for passing cars but which turned into a two track gravel road with very limited pull offs.  Fortunately, we met no other vehicle going in or out.  We parked at the end of the road where it had washed out some time ago.  The hike starts with a slight rise on an old forest road being reclaimed by vegetation, downed trees and occasional stream cuts.  After about 2.5 miles it started up a bit steeper and passed through dense groves of birch and hemlock, with a few large cedar trees.  The footing became treacherous, with ferns and other vegetation obscuring path, which is itself rocky and full of exposed roots.  And, there were several more stream cuts and rocky outwash tracks filled with moss-covered, slippery boulders.  We climbed a total 1,000 vertical feet over 3.6 miles, before reaching a large rock-filled gully.  There was no discernible trail on the opposite side so we stopped for a snack and called it a day.  We returned the way we came back over the root and rock infested ground.  Total distance 7.2 miles.  But we got a few views of the dramatic rock faces across the valley.

One of the many fungi we saw - "Conifer Chicken of the Woods."  It was about 10 inches wide and 5 inches deep.  Photographing fungi and mushrooms is easy -- they stay motionless.  We have seen numerous other fungi which I am not choosing to bore you with.

The turnaround point.

The view at the turnaround point.  There are supposedly mountain goats in the wilderness, but alas, we did not see any.  We still spook a pair of noisy birds earlier on the trail - possibly grouse.

The opposite side of Squire Creek Valley.

After the hike, we drove back to town, stopped at the Ranger Station and got some information regarding the Sauk River (see below), and for the "Mountain Loop" road which we will take leaving town tomorrow.  

The clear green water of the Sauk River (center top and right) is mixing with the latte-colored White Chuck River coming in from the left.  The clear water is mostly gone in a hundred yards downstream.

After cleaning up, we went back to the same Mexican restaurant (Dos Agaves) we ate at last night and enjoyed another great meal.  We have enjoyed our visit to this scenic area.  Darrington looks flat and ordinary but is surrounded by striking peaks and forest lands filled with hiking opportunities.