|
HIKE |
Tinkham Peak |
|
ROUTE |
Normal route |
|
DATE |
08/31/2006 |
|
ATTENDEES |
John, Craig, Chris A, Carla, Mark, Chris M, Steve and Don. |
|
NOTES |
xxx |
PHOTOS
Photo credits: N/A
TRAIL REPORT
Hello, TNAB'ers:
The last hike for August, 2006, was Tinkham Peak. TNAB visited Tinkham once many years ago, as an overnight, but never (to my hazy recollection) as a regular hike. At any rate, we were way overdue - this is a cool place.
The first obstacle to overcome was how to approach Tinkham. John (Moosefish) suggested following a plan that Craig (Beave) used recently. We would drive bumpy forest roads off of Stampede Pass to point that would drop us due south of Mirror Lake.
This route would require high-clearance vehicles. The call for SUV's was answered by Chris (A-O), who loaded up Carla (dicey), Craig (Husky Craig?) and Yours Truly from Eastgate. Chris (Magnum) "borrowed" his wife's Honda Passport and picked up Steve in Issaquah. Don, still in his lawyer uniform, drove as far as he could, then hitched a ride with Magnum.
It was well after 6:30 PM when we found John's parked SUV (he had already left for the peak). We geared up and took off down the overgrown road, looking for a serviceable entrance into the brush. When it became obvious that we were going too far, I decided "this looks good" and jumped into the woods. The fact that I'm able to recount this story is a testament to the restraint exercised by the rest of the group, as we then bushwhacked our way randomly up a ridge, then right to a mossy talus gully. The gully was the key - it lead us straight to the trail for Tinkham Peak. We would not step foot on the shores of Mirror Lake (can't speak for John, though).
The rest was academic: we followed the steep trail up the ridgeline, making excellent elevation gain. The cliffs rising over Mirror Lake are impressive. Within an hour of leaving the vehicles, we were on top of the east summit, digging the views. All was well except...the west summit looks higher! So once again, the party was on the move to the marginally higher west summit (5-10 ft max difference).
That was all good and fun, but now it's starting to get dark (already!!!!). Time to head back. Our route takes us back over the east summit, where we find John. We're still not sure how John got to the top, but it certainly involved more effort than the rest of us put forth. Turns out John is on a mission - he's carrying the Ed Miller Memorial Traveling Summit Register. We agree that Ed would rather be on the west summit, so John trudges off westward while the rest of us begin our descent.
(For more info on the traveling summit register, click here: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15939&start=45)
The hike out goes quickly, and save for one navigation problem near the bottom of the ridge, we exit in much better form than our entrance. It's barely 9:15 PM when we return to the vehicles - we'd been hiking maybe 2.5 hours tops, with maybe 1500 ft el gain. Within minutes, John catches up to us. Cool, we're all out, safe and sound. Next stop: the NBB&G - I love short hikes!!!!
Next Hike: Rampart Ridge. Yeah. If you forget food, don't worry, there'll be more than enough berries to feast on...
Cheers,
-Mark