SUNDAY, JULY 1
Donna and I started up the Suiattle trail (1600'). We walked the 0.8 miles to the Milk Creek trail junction, then continued for 2 miles up the Milk Creek trail. After passing from a steep cliffy area to a flatter area, we plunged downhill through the relatively open forest looking for the abandoned old Milk Creek trail. 15 minutes later we were standing on the venerable tread. Now the travel was a bit easier and we dropped down the steep old Milk Creek trail to the Suiattle River. Routes and Rocks briefly mentions an old trail heading towards Grassy Point. We eyed the old Milk Creek trail at the junction, which is a carpet of moss and choked with huge downfall. Then we turned upstream to the confluence of Milk Creek where it pours into the Suiattle River. Closely upstream, the creek falls over a beautiful 30 foot falls.
The creek was flowing high. We tied the rope to a tree and dropped our packs. Dragging the end of the rope, we forded the waist-deep flow. With the handline in place it was easy to ferry the packs across. We sat in the sun next to the Suiattle for a half hour to warm up. We filled all our water bottles, anticipating a dry climb up the ridge to Grassy Point.
After poking about in the relatively open forest, we found some of the tread traversing uphill. We slogged up several switchbacks, then promptly lost the trail. The ridge is fairly obvious, so we made our best guess where it must have wanted to be. Sure enough, after a bit we bumped into what seemed like the old tread. Every once in a while we found a sawed log, or a hint of a blaze. Climbing higher and higher, we lost and found the trail quite a few times. Finally at 3600' we lost it for the last time. The terrain steepened considerably in cliff bands and steep forest.
The duff gave a decent grip, but finally the angle was too much. So I switched from my running shoes to boots and used the ice axes. Soon it was getting a little exposed. The rope brought considerable relief to the psyche, but slowed us down. We traded rope pitches and got a little more efficient. Up higher it got brushier and soon our legs and arms were marked with bloody scratches. Oh, magnificent brush, how we love thee!
It looked hopeless to get all the way to Grassy Point that evening, aso we found a large flat spot at 5000'. We drank a lot struggling up the ridge, and were low on water. We melted a little snow with our small fuel reserve.
MONDAY, JULY 2
We broke camp, then descended down the rocks and steep forest to a saddle. The easy terrain up snow patches had some brush but mostly open ridge. There was a small stream flowing. Water at last! I grabbed Donna's water filter and pumped some water. It tasted great and I guzzled a whole liter. Then while furiously pumping more, the filter snapped. Uh-oh. A visit from Mr. Giardia? We walked to a high point on the Grassy Point Ridge, summitting the western-most bump. Spread all around is Lime Ridge, the Bath Lakes traverse, Glacier Peak, and tremendous views. It's a glorious place to be. We walked the ridge and summited 6596' Grassy Point and took in yet more views. Then we followed the undulating terrain along the ridge to the PCT
There was patchy snow on the PCT, but only with marmot prints. At a dry spot we rested and took in the expansive meadows. We could see our ridge route on Grassy Point, with it's large grass and heather meadows. The flowers were just started to bloom. With 70 degree temperatures and the sun beaming down, it was nap time. We followed the PCT "northbound" around the corner and down two switchbacks. At 5800' we left it and traversed the Dolly-Dusty high route above the trees to a scree slope. After crossing a stream gully, the terrain became pretty easy to descend. It was mostly scree and a little snow glissading to Vista Creek (4700'). The creek crossing went fairly easily.
Rounding a moraine, we plunged up steep forest and got thoroughly scratched again. The forest got steeper and the duff slippery. So out came the rope again. With new confidence, we traded leads and got above the worst of it. But the energy was sapped and so we began to look for any flat place to lay the sleeping bags. At about 5200' we finally found two single-size places. My spot was slightly exposed, so I slept tied in to a tree. Sliding down a slope inside my claustrophobic sleeping bag didn't seem like "fun". But with a line around my waist, I felt very safe and slept well.
TUESDAY, JULY 3
We started up the snow and forest duff for what we hoped would be easier terrain. After one very steep section we got the rope out again. Donna led up one pitch, with some impressive resolve. Chopping steps in the duff, she managed to struggle up to a solid belay tree. It was easy for me with the rope as backup, and soon we were on nice terrain.
Ah, paradise! I doubt this area is visited much. It's a grand park, with open heather and snowfields in a wide bowl under Gamma Peak. Views of Glacier Peak and marmot heaven are superb. There were goat tracks about and some tracks we could not decipher. Were they cougar, or coyote, or a very large marmot?
Up consolidated snow we walked to the ridge about a mile west of Gamma Peak. We dropped packs and looked over the east side of the ridge. We dropped our jaws at the incredible scene. The Dusty Glacier was a jumbled mess of icy boulders, and the huge Great Fill lay far below. Other glorious glaciers and the summit of Glacier Peak filled the view. Behind us was the parkland bowl. Due to some wind donned jackets ate lunch. Each of us picked our own view and soaked it up for quite some time. There was a family of 7 goats picking there way across steep heather slopes, making for the perfect scene.
Gamma Peak looked intimidating from this vantage. Possibly it would not work out and we'd have to backtrack down the unpleasant steep forest to Vista Creek. So with a little trepidation we walked the easy ridge for about a mile. The closer we got, the less fearsome Gamma Peak appeared. Rounding a corner, it looked better and sure enough, it went fairly well on the south side of the summit. Steep heather with plenty of steps made for safe progess. Soon we were on top, enjoying one of the best views of Glacier Peak and 360 degrees around.
We soaked up the scene, where we could see the route along Grassy Point's ridge, the Dolly-Vista high route, the Bath Lakes area, the Suiattle drainage, the DaKobed range, Entiat mountains, even Eldorado and Baker and thousands of other peaks. Finally we stepped off the summit block onto the snow of the north side and glissaded towards Gamma Creek. Dropping 1500' we hoped to find a passageway to the hotsprings. We found a beaten path and followed it down steeply. It went well until it reached a high point above the convergence of three creeks. The drop down was very scary looking and stopped at a cliff. We were tired and hungry, so we backed off and found two flat bivy spots.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4
The next morning we climbed back up the creek drainage to the east side of the creek. Oh boy! More scratched legsin the brush, and they were pretty beat up already. But the springs! The springs! Had to find 'em. Using Donna's excellent route finding, we angled down the forest and made a long switchback to Gamma Creek. Then up the creek for a ways where we found the hotsprings! We spent a few hours adjusting the temperature and enjoying the springs. I looked for potential campsites, but found no established spots.
We climbed up to gain Gamma Ridge to another 45 minute rest on top taking in the world. It was mid afternoon, and we still had another night planned. So we moseyed down the ridge, losing the old tread a few places in the patchy snow. We stopped for another hour a bit below, not wanting to waste these views. To the east and north are as Fortress, Buck, Tenpeak, Bonanza, and many more.
It's been years since they've logged out the Gamma Ridge trail. One nasty section had a bunch of newly fallen jackstraw timber (4800'). It didn't take long to descend. But the trail was brushy. Our scratched and sunburned shins complained bitterly about the woody brush. Yeouch! Ooh! Ouch! Finally we hit the PCT with it's groomed, wide tread. Ahhhh......
I suggested in jest that we hike all the way out. It was 6:40pm and we had 13 miles to go. Donna agreed. The grand views were over, so we might as well hike out the easy Suiattle trail. We were low on water. But oh well, I put on my running shoes and she took the rope. We pounded out the miles. En route are several gorgeous streams. We saw people for the first time on the trip, camped at the Suiattle River. By 9pm we were stumbling in the dark and donned headlamps. The trail is mostly flat, losing 1400' in 10 miles.
This trip had it all -- some trail, some long-ago abandoned trail, some high routes, scrambling a couple peaks, hotsprings, parkland views, snow travel, ridge walks, great brush, steep forest, sunburn, and only 0.8 miles of repeat on the entire loop. A definite 4-star trip, indeed.