Mount Pilchuck Adventures

Note: This took place during the year of 2005 when I was 12 years old when I started taking up hiking. Both attempt and summit trips were in February.

My first Mountain attempt:

It started when my mom wanted to get out of the house, and for some reason decided on Mount Pilchuck. A Month before we went to Wallace Falls and Wallace lakes which was a nice hike, but we took it up a notch and wanted something a bit well… bigger. We pack up our gear and get ready to head out. On this trip it was me, my mom and Michael, we left very late for a start. As we were going up the Mount Pilchuck road, it got icy and snowy fast so we could not go much further until we had to stop. From here we hiked up the road which was tiring from all the snow, plus I was not in shape… at all! Later we got up to the trailhead which by now it was sunset, which Three Fingers was very beautiful. As we head up through the woods the sun gave off such an intense sky, it almost looked unreal. It gets too dark, and we have to turn around. As we head back down the road I become very scared because I just had a feeling of the unknown and it was dark, who knows what was lurking around in these woods. Fortunatly someone with a good truck happends to come by and give us a ride down. This trip inspired the next.

My First Summit, Mount Pilchuck:

View as we go up		Three Fingers		Hiking through the Bolder Field		On the trail

This time my dad comes along and this time we make it all the way to the trailhead, which was very nice although like last time it was late in the day, but much more time then before. We hiked though the woods until we got to boulders and then we came to a steep icy slope. I thought this would be turn around time. It wasn’t, we pressed onward which I had the fear of slipping off the mountain as I pushed though, my ski polls kept my balance. The view just got better and better and eventually it was an amazing feeling, being in the mountains! The cold was there but it was a nice cold. As we head up my feet keep getting colder and colder and I become more tired and eventually it gets to the point were I’m whining at mom to turn around (Keep in mind I was young back then). She would have me stand over a steep zone to take a photo which I did but did not have the desire to. It was starting to near sunset and I could hardly feel my feet from the cold, perhaps I had a whole in my show… the tipical. So we brought out a beef jerky bag and wrapped my feet in it and used some other sock as well. I wanted so badly to stay behind, and wait on a rock for them to come down, but they forced me to come… glad I did. It was icy many steps of the way so I worried about slipping and some times did but caught my self. As we were going up, we saw mice in the boulders which gave me a bit of a worry. As we kept going on the ridge, I knew about the house on the top and some how hoped to stay in it, and perhaps spend the night up there. When we got up there it was windy and very cold, but very beautiful, nothing like being on top of a mountain at sunset in winter!

Rock near the Summit		Me, Micheal and my dad near the Summit		Me and Michael in front of Three Fingers		Summit view

This was my very first summit, but soon we head down which very much disappoints me. On the way down my mom slipped on some ice and hit her head which I worried about, nut she got down alright but said for months it gave her headaches. The way down was dark which we separated and I was with my dad and we glassaded down the mountain although we fell off path, but would get back on. I would always have the fear of bears up here as well as my dad, but we got lucky and did not encounter any. Another fun trip.

The Winter Silence:

Mount Pilchuck in a Storm		Three Fingers		Taking a Break

We decided we did not have enough fun on this mountain, it was March which we decided to come back to Mount Pilchuck. Although this time the weather was not clear like the previous time. We got near the trailhead and I think we had to walk a little ways to get to it. As we walk into the woods, it has a very nice atmosphere to it, it was cold, but wasn’t too cold. Eventually as I fell behind due to the weight of my pack and my heavy layers of jackets I had to lay down. As I lay there and caught my breath I could almost feel how quiet it was, it was a very intense moment…. just silence, no wind, no voices, no trees, no birds, just silence, perhaps mabe I could hear my heart beat. It is a feeling I will never forget, but was very peaceful. As I run to catch up I meet someone I know from school coming down which they summited but the weather was turning soar. As we head up it was not as icy as the previous time, but was much snowier. I could see Three Fingers which already looked a little faided from the fog. As we headed up we enjoyed some fozen chocolate peanut butter cracker cookies my mom made, although normally there not frozen, it was the cold that made them that way. It started to snow, so if we were going to go up, we roped up so that we would stay together, and eventually it became a mini blizard which was so terribly beautiful, this hike perhaps was the first time I felt like I was experiencing nature. As the weather grows worse and worse and Three Fingers disappears from the fog, we eventually had to turn around. As we head down it was pouring down rain, but was nice. There’s a pleasure to coming down soaking wet in the winter.

A stormy Night		Getting Foggy		Me and Michael in front of Three Fingers

I came up many other times including when sick or after school, but now I feel as though I know this mountain like the back of my hand.
Photos taken by My mom and Michael. As for there being people photos and not much scenery photos, sorry folks, I did not take the photos, if I did well it would be my traditional scenic photos, note that these are old photo scans.

Here are some more photos from here during winter of 2006.

Mount Pilchuck Ridge		Me, mom, Michael		Snowy Trees		Three Fingers during Evening

The Midnight Sun