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Published: August 26th 2010
Tent View Glacier Basin Trail
Excellent, free and low-impact campsite.
Saturday, August 14th to Sunday August 15th
Entry 23a: Monte Cristo/Glacier Basin Trial: Hiking and Camping Well, in addition to Scott working all week on some heavy stuff, I was getting bored, having spent 4 days in Seattle (having done the dinner party, bike rides, SAM, The Experience Music Project, A Rainier visit and camp, and blog writing, I was itching to get back to nature (the Rainier camping two days earlier was excellent). Scott was game, and excited to get back to nature himself, as his camping days had ended 20 years ago, after a series of Forest Service/State internships. And, they couldn’t make him work Saturday or Sunday, so a hiking and camping experience was in order.
Based on the recommendation of the two Seattleites that I’d met on at Cutthroat Pass on the Pacific Coast Trail, I’d suggested to Scott the Monte Cristo Trail. It had many of the features that I liked: Old mines, old and abandoned settlements, nice elevation, and, as a bonus, a majestic natural basin.
Another advantage of the Monte Cristo Trail hike: It’s so close to Seattle, only
65 miles, or about 2 hours. It’s a straight shot up I-5 to Granite Falls, then east for 40 miles. We left Saturday morning at noon and got back Sunday evening at 9 (after stopping in a Mexican Restaurant, always good gorging after a long hike).
The Monte Cristo Trail is an easy 4-mile hike along an old fire road, starting at an elevation of 2,360 and ending at 2,756 (so, only 400 feet higher after 4 miles). However, from the quaint (former) town of Monte Cristo, one has the choice to continue walking: 2.1 miles further on the Glacier Basin Trail, or the Poodle Pass, which is 11 miles long. On the recommendation of the Forest Service worker, we’ve chosen the Glacier Basin Trail, which has an elevation gain of 2,150 feet in its two miles (meaning, strenuous hiking, up almost the whole way).
But…Before We Could Fly… We anxiously hopped out of the truck, which was parked on the shoulder of the road along with at least 20-25 other vehicles, Sophie the dog was jumping around excitedly, as she could tell that it was time to hike. Scott, seeing a small Forest Service
Another Glacier Basin Trail End View
End of Trail, although all day could easily be spent here designation sign, said, “Okay, here’s the trailhead,” before slipping in a seemingly dense trail start. We scrambled up a tough hill, climbing over big roots, etc., and heading upwards. I kept thinking that this was a strange beginning for the hike, as the trail should’ve been more worn than it was, plus all the info from the internet claimed that the hike was really flat and easy.
It wasn’t until we spied a couple moving with ease in the distance on the obvious trail. Yes, we had gone the wrong way right from the start, straight up into the woods as opposed the official starting point, where the Monte Cristo Road intersects with the main road. We had a good laugh at this, and would make jokes throughout the remaining hike (and future hikes), saying, “Okay, here’s the trail,” while standing on a ridge edge.
Finally on the correct trail, the 4 mile Monte Cristo trail has excellent views of nice forest, and passes near and over a nice-sized creek. We saw a fair number of people on the trail, and evidently the Monte Cristo town site is a popular destination. It was also probably more
busy since that weekend was a “pass-free” weekend (for the back-to-school), meaning that the $5 per day parking permits were not required for the weekend! Free hikes for all!
The town was interesting enough, with about 15 different structures to view up close (there’s also a Forest Service worker on-site to field questions). He stated that he’ll get at least 80 people to the site, although 35 is a more common number.
After 45 minutes (we at lunch at the site of the old Monte Cristo lounge, as water from the creek was readily available to make our Backpackers’ food), we started on the Glacier Basin Trail, leaving the people behind. The trail offered a few more structures, and an eerie view of clear cutting, a result of the town’s chopping down massive trees near too near their settlement.
The trail was challenging, with slight inclines at the beginning, then narrower, much more rocky (or: all rocks) trails later in the hike. We could tell where we were going, as we catch glimpses of the pass ahead; we knew that we were to go through the pass (officially, around Mystery Mountain), and then back
Monty Cristo Hike 16
Pretty town, but in inaccessible area, even with former train (plus, not too much minable gold). another at least ½ mile to the basin. It’s ironic when I think of the outdoors; one would assume that since there’s millions and millions of acres of space that one would be dealing with acres and acres of wide-open, flat space. Not so, particularly in Washington State, where the mountains tend to be close and vertical. It would’ve been hard to find a suitable space to disperse camp.
Near the top of the pass, a massive waterfall provides a quick stop for water, where, as I climbed down to the water, Scott snapped a picture of me moving down a rock, much as I had done in Colorado with Scott 22 years ago. Then, again hitting the trail, and maneuvering around and over the compact trail, 5-foot growth of green plants on both sides.
With many trails (especially since they’ve been developed over the years to actually lead somewhere), there’s an eventual payoff, and at about 7:30 p.m., the trail levels off, running the side of a ridge, with great views of the opposing side and the small creek still eroding the hard, rocky center of the valley. We found the perfect camping spot right
on time—before the sun actually set. It was located on the top of an old mine, with 100-year old reminders of mans’ carving up the mountain in search of gold. Old bits of glass, mysterious and thick remnants of cloth, and a few old-timey boot hills remain scattered about.
The process of mining for gold involves, obviously, bringing out rocks of various sizes from the inside of the mountain to the outside. The result is large spillage of thick, darker rocks scattered down the mountainside (and of opposite color of the exposed rocks). From this situation at our campsite, we were able to identify high on the ridges other areas that had been mined.
We relaxed in the warm weather (it had been blazing hot on the hike, a rare 90+ degree day in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest), watching the sun light the huge, snow-filled basin (still ¼ mile north of us) ablaze in different shades of light. From the tent, sans rainfly, we spoke of the toughness of the hike, and viewed a low-flying green and red vehicle (which was not a commercial flight). Scott had done well on the hike, often times leading us up
the trail with such tenacity that I had to walk fast to keep up with him.
In the morning, we witnessed 3 people walk by the trail below our site, and we could also view a couple of guys ¼ mile back at the pass doing something with rocks. We also noticed what we thought was a small dog in the marshy overflow area of the creek. Turns out, it wasn’t a dog, but a strange beaver-like creature (possibly a marmot?) As soon as the sun peaked over the mountaintop of the opposing side, the head was extreme, forcing us to drink our coffee in the shade of some trees at the campsite. We looked at the mine remnants and snapped pictures. Since we had all day to get down the trail (which would take no more than 3.5 hours to walk out—much easier going downhill), we packed up all the materials and stashed the two heavy packs behind some big rocks to be able to continue the hike to the trails official end.
Armed UFO-Seeing Local Rednecks… We ran again into the 2 guys, (we were now the only 4 humans in the basin),
who were both armed with pistols on their belts. They were locals, from Everett, and were smashing various rocks in search of either gold or minerals/interesting rocks to take home and further work into jewelry pieces. Interestingly, they, too, had seen an unidentified flying object, but theirs actually moved around back and forth in the sky.
The trial now ran along the snow-melt creek, and Sophie and I took the more accessible angle of walking up the creek before rejoining the official trail when it was a bit easier to maneuver over. The basin was incredible, a nice, flat and sunny area surrounded by peaks on all 3 sides, making it a 1-mile bowl of sorts. We sat in a snow field, climbed over and around huge rocks, and both took a dip in a large pool of cold mountain water. It was a very relaxing experience, and a great way to spend two hours.
What’s Yours is Mine… The trip down was, of course, a lot faster, but surely we had to be quite carful, as it would’ve been very easy to slip of smaller rocks, or twist an ankle. In any case, our
knees were taking a beating. Back at the waterfall, we met a man of about 50, who, along with his daughter and son-in-law were prospecting for gold (complete with pick-axes, headlamps, etc.). Along with their four (4!) dogs, these locals had been coming here and mining for years. The man had read a book about the history of the area, and told us that, in addition to the 3-4 mines that we had been able to identify, there were at least 30 more here (many locals, in fact, won’t drink the water from these creeks, as arsenic and high-mineral concentration have somewhat polluted the water). Three were mines still open that one could walk several hundred yards back into, and others that still had the tracks and metal mining carts in them.
It’s a good thing that we were on our way out, or I would’ve been compelled to investigate these interesting opportunities (which, no doubt, would’ve led me into some sorta’ trouble).
Soon enough, we were back in Monte Cristo, where we opted to not eat lunch and high-tail it back to the truck, tired from walking 13 miles in just under 24 hours. We both
agreed that it was a fun and interesting experience, and Scott was thrilled to be back in the woods, where his old hiking skills naturally came back to him, even after so much time.
Forty five minutes later, we were in a Mexican restaurant, as a reward for doing so well on the hike, eating $10 burritos and 3 baskets of chips. From there, it was a quick jaunt back to I-5, which provided a quick and traffic-free shot back to Seattle.
That night, we viewed the pictures from the hike, and vowed to do another, longer hike during my time here…
Scott’s View:
After a heinous work week, I drive the borrowed Toyota to REI to spend some store credit on a backpack. This is big. I haven’t spent the night outside a structure with a foundation since the early 90’s. Not even car camping. Since I’m not much of a contemplative shopper, I’m fitted with a backpack, several pairs of socks,
and some freeze dried camp food in a short period of time. I get home. Dave and I go out for a hot dog (his meatless) and some beer (his PBR) and basically do everything except get ready for our trip.
Saturday morning is surprisingly easy. Everything gets packed; all the little details seemed to be dealt with. I need to keep perspective. We are only going to be 30 miles from the densely populated town of Everett. The drive is a bit of a blur: interstate and dusty forest service roads with some small mountain town in between. Upon reaching the parking lot that apparently marks the start of the trail to Monte Cristo, we get ourselves together. Dave is alpha so Sophie and I let him lead the pack. It is hot and dusty so we get our stuff together with some speed (although we don’t really seem to significantly change our leisurely pace). And we are off on our hike! The pack feels good. It’s a nice day. And here’s a clear spot off the road with some flagging tape in the distance. Certainly this must be the trail. Not very well marked though. I’m sure
Monty Cristo Hike 21
Scott's first overnight hike in 20 years. it must be on the other side of this ridge that we are heading toward. Didn’t the trail info state that this was an easy hike? From this height you can see that nice road below where people are hiking. Almost like a trail…
Thanks for reading the blog! Chicago Dave and Sophie
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