Due to my anxiety, if I'm not going on a new hike with someone that's already been there, it must be researched thoroughly before I arrive at the trailhead. So we knew pretty much exactly what to expect when we got there, down to the tenth of a mile when there were forks in the trail, landmarks, etc.
Inexplicably, I didn't check the fire weather before we got there and on our way up the mountain, saw several spot fires in the vicinity of our trail! Alarmed by this point considering the two hours we had driven to reach the spot, we forged on anyway.
When we reached the parking lot, our fear grew when we saw a USFS fire crew gearing up for a hike. That fear only subsided when Layne cleared our route with them and we found out we had the same destination in mind.
The hike was beautiful, along a timber ridge in the Blue Mountains of SW Washington. These mountains have a distinct plateau to them and since we started high enough up the hill, there wasn't too much of an elevation gain to the top.
The trail does split a bit over a mile in, and we definitely suggest taking the low road through the forest instead of along the exposed ridgeline. When you pass a carved horse trough, you'll be passed the point where the two trails rejoin.
Closer to the top we noticed mountain lion tracks and scat, solo hikers beware!
At the summit, we were treated to expansive views of the range and the best view of a large fire that was scampering up a pitch a couple ridges to the south. Luckily enough, the station was manned and we got a fantastic tour of the fire activity and a lesson in how spot fire locations are calculated.
Just as were were loading back up to head down the hill, the fire crested the ridge with some enormous flames, so we stuck around to watch the late 4th of July show and marvel at the power of nature.
Happy Trails.
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