WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST, WA :: I enjoyed the first full day of summer in the mountains, hiking the Fourth of July Creek trail to Icicle Ridge and the site of an old fire lookout. The lookout is no longer there, and I had to wonder why as I weaved through the skeletal remains of a forest that succumbed to a fairly recent wildfire. Maybe there are better ways of monitoring fires in the wilderness these days, or perhaps there just isn’t the necessary staffing and/or funding to do so.
It was sunny, but a cold breeze blew through the valley most of the day. This caused the burnt trees to sway and moan. At times, the creaking branches sounded a little too much like screaming children. My eyes scanned the trees for the real danger of falling limbs, and I looked over my shoulder a few times to check for those imaginary kids. It was neat walking through the naked trees, but a little creepy too.
I reached the ridge where there were still a few patches of snow. The wind was too hard and too cold on top of the lookout site, where only rusted bolts remain. I took shelter behind the large rocks to enjoy my lunch and views of the Enchantment peaks.
There was another car at the trailhead, but I didn’t see anyone else on the trail the entire day. Depending on which guide you believe, this hike is about 11-13 miles roundtrip, climbing 4800′.
Trip report posted with additional discussion at nwhikers.net.
It was sunny, but a cold breeze blew through the valley most of the day. This caused the burnt trees to sway and moan. At times, the creaking branches sounded a little too much like screaming children. My eyes scanned the trees for the real danger of falling limbs, and I looked over my shoulder a few times to check for those imaginary kids. It was neat walking through the naked trees, but a little creepy too.
I reached the ridge where there were still a few patches of snow. The wind was too hard and too cold on top of the lookout site, where only rusted bolts remain. I took shelter behind the large rocks to enjoy my lunch and views of the Enchantment peaks.
There was another car at the trailhead, but I didn’t see anyone else on the trail the entire day. Depending on which guide you believe, this hike is about 11-13 miles roundtrip, climbing 4800′.
Trip report posted with additional discussion at nwhikers.net.
Very pretty, very stark.
My 2 cents…I think the fire lookouts proved to be fruitless. By the time a lookout spotted a fire, probably would take too long to get the containment crews on the site.
The beauty of this hike will be evident in 5 years…new regrowth sprouting up amidst old ruins.
Keep it up, glad to see the pics!
Cool shots John. Looks like a fun hike. Jessica and I just did a puny hike in the area on Sunday (the rain sucked though).