|
HIKE |
Granite Mountain Summer solstice Hike! |
|
ROUTE |
Main trail, mutliple paths up top! |
|
DATE |
6/23/2005 |
|
ATTENDEES |
Dan, Darlene, Don, Joan, Larry, Mark, Tom, Jason, Linda, Sherry, Mauren, David, Marianne, Paul and Sharon, wow, what a crowd! |
|
NOTES |
Summer Solstice, what more do you need to say? |
PHOTOS
TRAIL REPORT
Summer solstice hike 2005 - it doesn't get much better! Let me describe the conditions: sunny with scattered clouds, though it could have been a bit warmer on top. The trail was in great shape - very little mud, and absolutely no snow. This is only the second time I can remember climbing Granite without snow...and the last time was an August hike!
Granite Mountain is a great hike, no doubt. With the lookout tower and it's great views, there's a reason why we choose Granite for the solstice hike. But this solstice hike, more than ever, belonged to the people! And what a wonderful, crazy bunch showed up this year!
First, the regulars: Dan, Darlene, Don, Joan, Larry, Mark, Tom. No surprises here. See ya'all next week! :)
Next, the irregulars: Jason: Drove all the way down from Western (WWU) late Thursday afternoon to make this hike - and beat several folks to the top along the way! Lynda: Second time out this season (Mailbox 1st), she had to see if the solstice hike was all it was cracked up to be. Sherry: Two seasons removed from her last hike, she gamely showed up to be counted (and put up with Dan the whole time!).
Out-of-the-Blue: Maren! She saunters up to the Eastgate crowd like it was 2004. Surprise! Back after her first year of med school, for just a couple short weeks, she chose to spend this night with TNAB. Awesome!
OK, for those of you counting at home, that brings us to 11. Now, would you believe we had FIVE newbies on the hike? It's true! Dan (via Maren - the real reason she's back...); David (via Darlene - hang drywall, then go hiking? Why not!); Marianne, and her son Paul (I hope I got that right, apologies if I didn't - joined us based strictly on Larry's testimonial - a scary thought); and last, but not least, Sharon, subbing for Angela. Great to have all of you onboard!
Back to the hike. The majority of us started on the trail by 6:00 PM or so. The crowd at the summit began to build right around 8:00 PM. Rainier hid shyly behind the clouds for a while, then made an appearance. Soon, we were achieving critical mass - there was way too much good stuff available. I can't do everyone justice, but here are some hightlights:
-Larry and Jason tag teamed a halfrack of Guiness, in bottles and on ice, up the mountain. Tom brought a few more along, to boot.
-Darlene treated all to jello shooters and decadent cinnamon rolls
-Joan made yummy chocolate poppyseed cake
-TNAB Dan made margaritas
-Don/Lynda and Sharon all brought vino!
-Strawberries and whip cream courtesy of Maren (?)
-Mark strummed a couple tunes to add to the ambience
-And a lot of other great stuff that I missed for this record
All the people, food and libations aroused the curiosity of "Jack" (not his real name), who was up to check in on the lookout tower. Around 9:00 PM, the air became decidedly chilly and "Jack" let us reconvene in the tower, where we carried on until 9:30 PM. Finally, it was time to go. Most of us were able to descend without headlamps until well past 10:00 PM, when we regained the forest. After that, I don't want to even think about how late it was before we were all off the mountain and heading home. All I know is, I'm still buzzing! Great hike, great party, great solstice!
Next Week: McClellan's Butte! No letdowns here. To make things spicier, the Man, the Myth - Matt! - will be in attendance! No cameras or recording equipment, please.
On deck: Who knows! The website schedule is officially out of whack, and it's my fault. I'll try to rectify the situation asap.
R&R Forever,
-Mark
www.tnab.net