Methow Valley/North Cascades

July 2010

At the Goat Peak Lookout

Since we loved our 2007, 2008 and 2009 trips to the Methow Valley and  North Cascades National Park so much we decided to return again in 2010.   Once again the Freestone Inn was our basecamp for day hiking and fly fishing. 

Friday, July 23

We left home mid-morning and had a very easy drive to Mazama, stopping along the way to lunch at our usual spot on the Wenatchee river and again at the fruit stand in Pateros where we picked up some apricots and killer salsa.  Another stop at the Red Apple in Winthrop for milk and a few other supplies and we were off to the Freestone Inn, our home for the next four days.  

We stayed at Early Winters Cabin 2 again this year right on the creek.  After unloading and getting the grill delivered we decided to hike.   We drove up Hwy 20 to Klipchut campground where we got on the Early Winters Trail which paralleled the creek and highway.  Nice easy grade most of the time with one area breaking out on a large slide slope, you did not want. A misstep here, it was a long way to the creek below.  Past that the trail got more and more overgrown, typical trail for us, one that no one had been more than a mile on all season.  We did not do the entire trail since we were getting hungry so a few miles in to the 4 mile trail we turned back.  

Our cabin	Ready for the first hike

Back at the cabin we roasted peppers on the grill, got rice and beans going, made guacamole, cut and sauteed veggies and finally grilled halibut marinated in lime and chilis.  Our typical mexi-feast never tasted so good.   After dinner I headed to the lake for an hour of fly fishing.  It was crazy.  First cast, 18" brown trout on, fought and released.  Second cast - 14" brown caught and released.  Next cast - 20" brown.  Next cast - 16" brown.  Finally my fifth cast went fish less but a few more and I had another 18" brown.  A few after that produced an 18" rainbow that hit and began jumping like a steelhead.  I reeled up and headed back to the cabin, hard to top that.   All fish were caught sight casting and took a #16 bead head Prince nymph, I figured this fly out a few years ago on the lake and it obviously still works.

Freestone brown trout	Nice Freestone rainbow

Saturday, July 24

We awoke around 5:30 to the sound of the creek outside, made tea and lattes, had some breakfast and mulled over the day.  We decided on a relatively easy hike up the West Fork Methow trail, figuring we'd go 4 miles and turn around to be back by noon.  We drove up to the trailhead and set off at 7:30 in the morning, sun really just getting up over the ridges behind us.  The hike was pretty flat and much more beautiful than the short hike yesterday afternoon.  There were views of the river, views of the surrounding hills and mountains, walks through wildflowers, and spots where we hiked through a burned out forest.   Four miles went by, we kept walking.  Five miles went by, we walked some more.  After 2 hours we decided to give it 30 more minutes and turn around if we hadn't started climbing yet.  That went by and we added 15 more minutes.  We then found a nice rock to sit on and have some water.  We'd been going almost 3 hours and from taking some bearings off nearby peaks found we were in a bit over 7 miles.   

Sunrise at the West Fork trailhead	Starting out
Wildflowers in full bloom	Burned out forest

It was 10:30 when we started back.  We had close to 3 hours to walk into the sun, the temps were rising, and we had 16 oz of water left between us and no food.  Another pretty typical Tim & Catherine adventure.  We took it easy, rationed water, stopped in shade, and used any creek crossing to soak our hats and cool off.  We played trolls under a bridge about 2 miles from the car, enjoying the shade and cool air by the creek.  We found a great shaded rock by the river where then breeze came through.  We kept walking.  We finally hit the car after 2:45 of walking the 7+ miles back, the car was 98 degrees.  The AC felt great as did the flip flops.  We headed to the Mazama Store and chugged Gatorade and Rockstar then headed back for lunch, we were both pretty hungry and it was 2:00.  

There is a trail in here somewhere...	Taking a break 7 miles in
Cooling off by the creek under the bridge	Rested up, only 2 miles to go...

We ate and I decided to go fish while Catherine cleaned up and did yoga. I headed back up the road to Robinson Creek which, like everything else, was running much higher and faster than last year.  I rigged my 7' 4-weight Taylor bamboo pack rod with a Lime Trude and hit the water.  With the higher flows it took finding the slower pockets to find the fish and it did not take long to have a beautiful wild cutthroat to hand.  I got a dozen fish, nice for a small stream and even got a brook trout, maybe it was a bull trout since it had no red spots.  The nicest fish was great, I missed him about three times on a Yellow Stimulator then he stopped rising for it.  I switched to an Adams and had him first cast, a very nice 11-12" fish in a pocket the size foe a large bucket.  Very fun and in a few hours I've already managed the North Cascades slam - a rainbow, brown, cutthroat and brookie.   

Robinson Creek	Robinson cutthroat

We grilled dinner again, Copper River sockeye salmon, corn, asparagus and salad along with a St. Michelle cabernet.  Sitting out on the deck watching the creek and eating was a 5 star experience.  After dinner we walked up to the lake where we sat out to watch the swallows and trout rise and were treated to a buck deer walking around the lake trail eating his dinner from the shrubs.  

Sunday, July 25

This morning we were treated to deer as we had coffee, tea and breakfast when a buck and two does came by the cabin and stayed a while outside our window.  The deer left and we finished up and hit the road for Goat Peak.  This hike starts with a pretty long drive of about 15 miles of not so bad logging road, a bit hairy in a few spots but nothing like Hart's Pass.  The drive winds up Goat Peak, traverses the tops of the wall and then heads around the mountain finally ended at the trailhead at 5000 feet.   

Deer at Cabin

We started hiking just before 8:00 and it was perfect out.  The hike starts gradual and you soon come to a ridge top faced with the false summit standing at the end of the ridge, about 1500' of climbing.   The trail designers obviously opted for t he fasted path to the top and switchbacks be damned.  The lower two-thirds of the trail goes straight up and then there is an attempt at switchbacks near the top.   

The false summit with steep trail	Top of the false summit

Panorama at the saddle

You come out on a small summit and drop to a ridge with views on both sides and the real summit and look out to the east.  After a slight drop we climbed to the 7000' summit in almost exactly an hour where we were greeted once again by Lightening Bill Austin, the guy who mans the look out.  We hung out on the bench and chatted with Bill a while, were visited by a grouse, and finally climbed the stairs to the cabin.  Bill took our picture and read us a poem.  We chatted a bit more and when rested headed down.  

Top of ridge	Destination at last and the real summit
Grouse at the lookout	Heading back down

The trip down was a bit grueling, especially after all the miles yesterday.  I was in low gear and the poles saved me.  We stopped for water and a snack between steep sections and again geared down.  Still, we made it back in an hour and beat the heat today.  Still the AC and Rockstar was great and soon were were driving the Outback in low gear back down the mountain.  

We were all the way up there

After lunch Catherine went for a swim at the pool and I headed to the Methow down from Weeman Bridge.  The river was higher than last year and harder to get around but cutthroat were willing to rise to a #12 Yellow Stimulator and I had a fish in about three casts.  It wasn't great fishing but steady and I got about 10-12 fish to rise, all in the 10-14" range and very beautiful.  I was pretty much dying when I walked back out, it was 100 by then and time for a cold dip in the pool myself.   After swimming I got a massage from Catherine which was fantastic as always, we rested a bit and then made another mexi-feast on the grill.  At 7:00 I headed to he lake for a short while and managed to catch the biggest rainbow I've ever gotten there, a 5 lbs fish that took hard, jumped high, ran to the middle of then lake and put on a show for the diners at the lodge.  By the time I landed the fish there was an audience of about 20 people out by the beach.  I did also manage a 3 lbs brown trout and missed a few other fish, not bad for 40 minutes after dinner. 

Hanging at the pool	Ready for fishing in the heat of day
Methow River

 

Monday, July 26

This morning we decided to try an easy hike since my knee was complaining a bit so the plan was to hike to Cutthroat Lake then drive up Washington Pass and do the little loop there with good views of Liberty Bell and the Spires.  We hit the Mazama store when they opened for a latte and a few t-shirts then took off up Hwy 20 to the trailhead, arriving just on our usual start time of 7:40.  

Mazama Store	Start of Cutthroat Lake/Pass trail

The air was very cool at the trailhead and the sun was just coming over the ridges behind us when we took off, the temp had dropped from 62 to 48 going up the highway.  The  2-mile walk to the lake was easy, almost totally flat and we spent some time at the lake watching fish jump until the Mosquitos got too annoying.  They should have named this Baby Cutthroat Lake, all the trout appeared to be about 3-5" long.

Cutthroat Ceek	Cutthroat Lake at mouth

We left the lake and hit the juncture with the main trail.  Back to the car or onwards towards Cutthroat Pass?  I turned left toward the pass, figuring we'd go up the first few gradual switchbacks and then turn around.  We did the first , second and third switchbacks and kept going.   My leg felt good so we decided to go 2 miles past the lake to where the trail gets steeper and is wide open to the sun.  Within an hour we arrived at a cairn that marked the perfect spot to rest and turn back, good views, a good log to sit on and a little over 4 miles from the car.  We had a snack and water then headed back down the trail, arriving at the car just before noon with temps up to the mid 80's even at altitude and near 90 back at the cabin.  

The cairn marking our turnaround	Nice boulder on the way back

After lunch I headed back to the Methow while Catherine swam, fishing the same water. As yesterday.  I decided to fish a Lime Trude thinking the cutts would like it but for some weird reason only got rainbows to rise today.  I got a half dozen nice trout in the 12-14" range to rise to the fly and they all fought well in the strong currents of the river.   By the time I got off the river it was 98 out so I headed back for a swim to totally cool off.    This being our last night we decided to head into town finally to East 20 Pizza, our favorite little pizza place in the valley.  We had a splits Art's and Portobello along with a few pints of Deschutes Green Lakes Ale, my only real beers of the year.  It was great, just how we remembered it.  Back at the cabin I hit the lake briefly and landed one rainbow and missed several fish.

The trail was a bit dusty

 

Tuesday, July 27

Catherine had gone to the lake early yesterday morning and said the fish were jumping and rising everywhere so on our last morning I had to check it out.  I got up, dressed, grabbed the rod and headed to the lake at 5:00 while Catherine did yoga.  It was crazy, my best day on the lake yet.  While there were some sporadic risers out in the middle of  the lake, I focused on the fish cruising the shore in search of a meal.  In an hour and a half I managed to get 10 trout, most of them browns, to eat the #16 BH Prince nymph.  None were huge but all in the 14-18" range.  I watched the sun come up over the ridge,  illuminate the lake, and could already feel it's warmth.   It was time to say goodbye to the lake for another year, I had to go back and pack up so we could head home today.  I returned to the cabin as Catherine was finishing her practice, we had breakfast and began to prepare for departure.

Sunrise at Freestone Lake, last morning	I always have the fish's address for the next trip...