Green Mountain Lookout 4.26.15

I was able to finish up my school work early this week so after looking at the forecast, we decided to head out into the mountains on Sunday. I felt like a hiking adventure would be fun to really get out and enjoy the mountains. I suggested the Green Mountain Lookout so Aaron looked for some recent trip reports while I went back to studying. There had been a group up there 6 days prior and said there was solid snow on the upper half. They used microspikes and ice axes, and said snowshoes weren’t necessary with the boot pack. We decided to bring microspikes, trekking poles, and our gaiters.

It’s a long drive from Seattle considering the last 15 miles or so are on a gravel road. Not the worst forest service gravel road I’ve been on, but it did have its share of potholes. The six mile road up to the trailhead also had a fair share of large sticks/small branches and rocks so the high clearance vehicle was nice. We drove past the trailhead at first as I got a glimpse of a small blank sign and then a Green Mountain sign up in the trees. The end of the road was just past it though so we turned around and parked in the large pullout, no other cars were (obviously) there yet. It wasn’t as cool as I was expecting so that was nice. We grabbed our packs, got our boots on, and hit the trail just after 9:30am. Aaron registered our group at the registry just up the trail in the trees.

The first section of the trail was lined with green, it looked soft. From looking at the forecasts, it had seemed that various mountain areas had a chance of snow at around 3500’ the day before, which is where we were starting from. Probably above 4000’ or so we did hit snow in the trees, just a very light covering, but enough to make hidden sticks a bit slippery underneath the boots.

Trail conditions through the trees

We made fairly good time up the first 800’ or so before it leveled off. We took a break as we exited the trees and sat among the slide alder. The trail soon started switchbacking up the open mountainside through the meadow with amazing views of the nearby mountains, including Glacier Peak.

Hiking across the meadow with great views

We followed the switchbacks, some seeming a bit unnecessary, but enjoying the view regardless. At about 5000’ we hit snow, and after only a few small dirt patches at the beginning, had solid snow to the top. As we left the meadows and what we initially thought might be the top, we saw the actual top with the lookout tower and the very wide open snow slope leading up to it. First we had to wind our way through the trees a bit and drop down a hundred feet plus to the creek that wound its way through the snow. There was such a stark and immediate change in landscape, it was like we were someplace completely different from where we had started. Most of my hikes this year had very little snow if any, so it was a pleasant surprise to be surrounded in a winter wonderland with the sun sparkling off of the untouched snow.

Dropping down to cross the creek before reaching the base of the final slope to the lookout tower

Knowing we should put gaiters on, we decided to start plunge stepping down towards the creek. Sara and I gave up part way down and made the wise decision to put our gaiters on before we filled our boots with even more snow. Aaron waited for us next to the creek as we made our way across a slippery stick and some rocks. The cut through the snow from the creek was really cool though.

View from the creek as I crossed it

A little more walking through the trees led us to the base of the big, open slope to the top with just under 1500’ to go. After a quick snack, Aaron started off. The bootpack we had followed through the trees wasn’t ideal with its giant steps but Aaron’s attempts at kicking new steps led to wallowing in the snow. Luckily, the snow on the open slope was perfect for kicking steps, so he started up kicking small steps for us to follow in, which was much appreciated over the giant boot pack. About a third of the way up we paused and Sara took the lead in kicking steps, and didn’t relent until reaching the final ridgeline. It was kind of nice to just head straight up the snow, stopping to admire the views behind us as more mountains appeared the higher we got. It was so peaceful too, no one else was around. The very last bit, maybe 10 – 20 feet, to the top was a bit icy. It was mostly ice with a very thin layer of snow on top. The ridge did have cornices but with the low snow, we were able to find some rocks and patch of grass to know we were far enough back from the cornices. Aaron finished kicking steps up to the lookout and I continued bringing up the rear. The views on the other side of the mountain were equally amazing.

Making our way across the final ridgeline to the top. The picture on the right shows the conditions of the ridgeline from the lookout

The lookout was all closed up but we took a break to eat some food, take pictures, and enjoy the beautiful view. Just as we reached the final ridgeline we noticed another pair of climbers emerge from the trees, about to start up the open slope as well. After a decent break we started down and met them as they started up the final bit along the ridge. We had already decided we’d be glissading down as much as possible. There was evidence of sloughing on the slope and we saw one go as we headed up, well to our left though. As Aaron started glissading first he broke a couple inches of slab off with him as he rode the snow down. The snow was really sticky so the glissading was slow but it was effective. We only made it part way down before having to get up and plunge step. There were a couple more sections of the slope that were steep enough to glissade, and before we knew it we were back at the trees.

Views from the top!

We took a bit of a longer break as I was enjoying just being there. We shed our mittens and shells after the glissade and prepared to head back, including that hundred feet or so of uphill we had. The snow seemed a little better on the way out from consolidating in the sun so we were able to wallow a bit less and find our own steps. Before long we were back on the dirt trail so we took off our gaiters and started back down to the car. We met one more group of three on their way up, just after exiting the wilderness boundary. Some trails seem never ending on the way out, but this one pleasantly didn’t. Maybe it was the change in environments. We made our way across the meadow and reentered the trees, a bit muddier than the morning as the light layer of snow had started melting. Before I knew it we were back at the car. About an hour of driving from the trailhead got us back to 530, and then smooth sailing from there home. It was great to get back out in the mountains, especially on such a beautiful day. The mountains are definitely my happy place.

Glissading down from the summit

GPS track here

Lower part of the trail through the trees and across the meadow. As soon as we crossed over the ridge at 5000' we hit snow the rest of the way

Upper portion of the trail, the big open snow slope we went straight up