At the Corner of Trail and Trail

Anxious to climb "The Mountain"

2011-07-18T14:27:00.005-04:00

Counting down the days until I make my trip up Mt. Rainier. Just four to go! I have to tell you I getting really anxious. I've never been so excited for some event and yet at the same time eager to have it over with. I hope I'm ready for this. Saturday I went up Mt. Pilchuck and practiced glacier travel with most of the group. The mountain was covered in snow (even in July!) and we learned about how to deal with crevasses and how to work on a rope team. Even with the practice I feel really nervous.

But I can't back out now! I've spent too much money on gear! I have a feeling this will be a defining climb for me. I'll know by Sunday whether I was made to be a mountain climber or not. After this I may have a permanent case of summit fever.

I have some pictures from two Saturdays ago, from Mt. Dickerman, a massive mountain several hundred feet taller than Pilchuck and covered with snow from 4000 ft up. When I get a chance I'll post those too.

Winter Ascent of Mt. Bandera

2011-02-26T17:10:00.007-05:00

Every Mountain is better with snow!

This last Monday, since there was no school (president’s day or something) I decided to get one last climb in before the finals start coming. My thought was that I could get climbing out of my system so I can focus on school (not sure it worked, them mountains looked awfully tempting yesterday). So I headed out to my favorite mountain, Mt. Bandera! This would be my fourth summit, second winter summit, and 7th or so climb in the area.

Joining me: my two climbing buddies and super guides, Bruce Hart and Mark Oostra. I really like climbing with these guys. They have tons of experience, with maybe 11 or 12 Rainier summits between them. But here’s the irony of it all: They had never been up this mountain before, so essentially I was guiding them! I thought that was kinda fun.

We headed out at 6am for the trail-head, wanting to get an early start. There wasn’t a single car in the parking lot. The sun was just coming up, and it was partly cloudy. The previous two days had been near perfect, meaning we wouldn’t have to deal with any fresh snow. Once we had our gear on our backs we put boots to the trail by 7:50am.

The trail began as usual, but when we reached the big water fall, we were in for a nice surprise. While they were still flowing hard, the falls were actually partially frozen . It was a spectacular sight, with ice hanging everywhere.

It didn’t take long for the snow to start to appear. Bruce and I put on traction devices for our boots, but Mark didn’t bother. In fact, he climbed the whole day with no extra grip save for his trekking poles. With the extra traction I was able to easily move across the light snow on the trail. This thin layer was steady until we reached the open area about 1500ft below the summit. At that point, the trees largely disappear and the snow get much thicker.

The snow had completely obliterated the trail, which usually traverses under the main south face and then shoots up a steep slope towards the ridge of the mountain. Instead, all there was is a boot path laid down by a previous hiker that cut up towards the col between Mt. Defiance and Mt. Bandera, then veered off towards Defiance to the west. We decided that rather than cut our own trail we would follow this one (even though it went the wrong way). I didn’t know just how far off we would end up until I reached the col and saw the sign for a completely different trail!

The ridge-line was covered by trees, but it was still easy to navigate. So we simply hiked up through the trees, which had deep and soft snow untouched by the wind, and made it to where the trail usually hits the ridge. There we stopped for lunch at an open overlook of the Alpine Lake that sits between Defiance, Bandera, and Pratt Mountains. At this point the weather was beginning to turn. The sun disappeared, the wind began to blow (it didn’t help we were on an open part of the ridge), and the snow began to fall.

While we were munching away, the mountain birds came up to make us share. I didn’t feel like giving them anything, but Mark and Bruce took turns getting them to eat out of their hands, and they even put food on their head to get the birds to land there!!! I had to defend my food fiercely, as these birds were extremely bold.

After lunch was done, we made the final push to the summit, only about 500 feet above us. The mountain has three or so false summits, so you don’t know you are on top until you’re there, but I knew we were less than an hour away. This part of the trip is the toughest, since there are icy, make-absolutely-no-mistake stretches of trail. The wind, snow, and ice made the summit push truly epic. Mark, again with no traction assist, was leading the team at this point, with me behind him to guide and Bruce behind me. After climbing the false peaks, we reached a point where we could go up no farther. Summit!!!

The decent was a little different then the way we came up. For this part I chose to use my ice axe instead of my trekking poles, and found that I really liked travelling that way. We decided to bypass the ridge line partially and come down the steep and icy southwest face, following some markers left by a previous team. Mark and Bruce glissaded down, but I chose to walk down. I’m still not comfortable with that particular maneuver. They did in one minute what took me ten. I took my time and self belayed with my axe as needed. My feet wouldn’t always go into the snow when I took a step, but it wasn’t too tough.

After the face the trek went smoothly, and we were at the waterfall again in what seemed like no time, taking one last round of pictures. It was one of the best climbs I’ve ever done!

The obligatory self portrait.

The always enthusiastic Bruce Hart

Leading the way at the moment: Mark Oostra

Climbing towards the West Col

Tonight on Fox: When Birds Attack!

Summit Drive

Almost to the top. None of the summit photos turned out this time.

Making our way down.

The waterfall, taken on the way out.

I wish I could go climbing in Scotland!!!

2010-11-20T14:00:00.003-05:00

Check out this cool video of some ice climbing. I would like to post some news about my own attempts, but things havn't stabalized for my hearing and school is keeping me busy and away from the mountains. However, Thanksgiving break is coming up soon and I plan to get out at least once then.

Until then, enjoy this video I found about mountain climbing in SCOTLAND!

The Cronkright's conquer Mt. Pilchuck!

2010-10-13T17:24:00.016-04:00

Dave's been wanting to show me why he wants to stay in Washington and keep on with the mountain climbing he loves so much. I had an opportunity to go to Seattle so he arranged for a little "hike" up Mt. Pilchuck. We had beautiful weather. I stayed in long sleeves the whole way but never needed my jacket and only used my glove liners a little. Mt. Pilchuck is about 5300 feet tall and our vertical ascent was about 2200 feet. It took us around 3 1/2 hours to get to the top. The trail is very rocky and Dave says that is not typical but Mt. Pilchuck is a very popular ascent for novice climbers. That describes me! There were probably about a dozen other climbers we met along the trail. Many had dogs with them. None of the dogs were leashed but all were well behaved. Perhaps the most interesting climber we met was Ben who is 90 years old. Yes, he made it to the top! It was quite an inspiration.

Yup, we were really here!

Dave at the beginning of the trail

early on the trail looked much like what we would see in Michigan but that soon changed

some views from the trail:

King of the World!!!

There were times it was hard to find the trail

Lynn at the summit- - 5300 feet!

The final "boulder scramble" up to the old fire lookout at the summit. That's Dave ascending it. He made it!

DALMAC 2010

2010-09-06T20:51:00.038-04:00

This year we took the 5 day route again, only this time there were four of us plus our faithful SAG driver Jeremy. Our first day was hot and windy. After that the weather turned cold and wet on top of the windy. Night three and day four were the worst. We got very little sleep and about a quarter of the tents actually blew down. We spent the first couple hours of the day at the local Laundromat drying things out. None of us did the entire 340 miles of the route. Tim came the closest; riding all of days 1, 2, 3 and 5 and part of day 4 (including “the WALL”). The final day, while cold, was sunny with less wind and the scenery was beautiful. It is a pleasant ride along the shore of Lake Michigan. Next year we’re thinking we’d like to try a different route. Anyone want to join us on the 5 UP?

And we begin in East Lansing, Michigan.

D/T mechanical issues, just Tim & Jess started at the beginning.

one of the signs along the way

resting at Lake George

Hi Mom/Grandma

Elk Rapids- Just imagine: this went on all night

Loading up the bikes. The whole day was wet, cold, rainy, yukky

Our first stop of the day: the laundromat

getting ready to ride out to The Wall in East Jordan.

You can see how bundled up Jess is....it was COLD!

and off they go

THE WALL: EAST JORDAN, MI

http://tinyurl.com/7pljr

and they both made it to the top!

the view from our hotel window. we weren't staying out in THAT again! Tim thought the effect of the rain on the windowpanes was pretty cool. not bad for a point-n-shoot camera.

Riding through the "Tunnel of trees" along the shore of Lake Michigan

Where the North Country Trail crosses through Wilderness State Park

the final ride into Mackinaw City

our faithful SAG driver (and photographer) Jeremy

Goodbye DALMAC! See you again next year!

Falling Waters Trail

2010-08-13T15:40:00.007-04:00

Dave’s been complaining that he’s the only one posting to the blog, so I promised him that I would post from our ride today. Pales in comparison to his mountain climbing exploits….but it was still a lot of fun! Cousin Alex was visiting us and it seemed like a good time to ride the “Falling Waters Trail” that runs from Jackson, MI to Concord, MI…. a distance of about 11 miles. It’s a converted rail bed, paved, flat and wide enough to comfortably ride three abreast. http://www.fallingwatertrail.org/ The trail goes right through the middle of Lime Lake and by Spring Arbor which is where the parents/grandparents live. So we rode the entire trail, doubled back and then took a detour off the trail to go visit them. While I worked on fixing Mom’s computer issues, Mike and Alex did an additional six miles up and down surrounding hills. Plus, they were talking so much that they “missed” Lime Lake, and had to see it before looping over to the folks. So overall, I did about 24 miles to their 31. It was a pleasant ride….not too hot and the flat terrain was a nice change from what we usually experience.

We borrowed a bike for Alex, so had to spend time fitting it at the trailhead

starting out along the trail in Concord

There are fields on each side, so you see this sign every little while

scenery along the way

There's places to stop and rest along the way. This spot is right on Lime Lake (that's not us)

Lime Lake

you can see Lime Lake on both sides in this picture

pausing at the Jackson trailhead....it does continue on to a "city trail" which goes through Jackson. Someday we'll ride that too.

Trail head in Jackson

Grandma took this and didn't cut off our heads! : D

On to New Heights!

2010-08-08T15:45:00.003-04:00

After I climbed to 10,000 ft. on Mt. Rainier, I started to having something like remorse going through my head. I had set a new altitude record, an excellent achievement, but then the reality set in that at this present time I can’t climb any higher. To go any higher essentially requires two things, neither of which I have: mountaineering knowledge, and a climbing partner.

So that left me wondering what’s left for me to accomplish this summer. Then it occurred to me that though I had climbed to 10K on Rainier, and 7300 ft. on Baker, in both cases I have yet make the summit. Thus the highest summit I have stood upon is Mt. Defiance, at just 5584 ft. above sea level. That leaves me with plenty of room to grow in terms of summits conquered. So yesterday I set my sights in Granite Mountain, which is part of the group of peaks surrounding my old favorite Mt. Bandera. So here now is the tail of my adventure.

The trail starts off really easy, so much so you almost forget you’re on a mountain side. The sky overhead was completely overcast, making for a relatively cool hike. After around a mile it splits in two, with one path leading to the summit, while the other leading to some lakes. Upwards I climbed towards the summit, and from this point on the trail alternated from grueling switchbacks to easy trekking and back again. Just an hour into the hike I reached the first of the avalanche chutes. Breathe easy Mom, there isn’t any snow on the mountain this time of year, so it was completely safe. From this point on, the trail alternates between being under forest canopy and open ground. If there was any view to see it was at this time I might have been able to get my first real glimpses of it, but, alas, the clouds covered everything in a gloomy grey.

After about 1 hr. 45 min. or so the trail leaves the forest and travels along open steep meadows, filled with wild flowers and a few scraggly trees. Just a few minutes after I hit the open face it began to rain, and I was obliged to stop and put on my raingear. After some switch backs I reached a level space of ground with several trails going in different directions. The trails all more like deer paths through the grass than the well maintained and wide trail I had been hiking until now. Not knowing where to go, I selected a path that seemed to go upwards towards where I assumed the summit was, but I didn’t know for sure because the clouds prevented me from seeing more than perhaps two or three hundred feet at best. It wasn’t long before the trail started to climb a ridge. I could see glimpses of the valley on the north side, and the open face to the south. Just after noon the trail became a boulder scramble, which means there really wasn’t a trail at all!

Now, bear in mind that Granite mountain is one of the most heavily traveled hikes in the Snoqualmie area. When the path became an unintelligible scramble, it didn’t fit with the picture of hundreds of climbers a weekend. Because of the foul weather I had only seen a few people, so I couldn’t follow someone who already knew the way. So here I was, stuck in the rain on a pile of rocks that seemed to go up forever, and with no trail to follow. So I decided to stop and take lunch. While I was cooking my Ramen noodles, I consulted my map to see where I was. I had thought that perhaps I was climbing a subsidiary peak, but my map suggested there was none. However, in a stroke of luck, I spied through the clouds a trail in the valley below, and even a few hikers traveling along it. After wrapping up my meal (eating my noodles very carefully with my knife, because I had forgotten my spoon), I doubled back and found a spur that descended to where I had seen the trail, and discovered that trail was the main one after all.

From there it was just another 30 minutes to the top. As I hiked I could make out the ridge I had been on, and realized it led all the way to the top. I could have stayed on it if I wanted to, but it wouldn’t have been much fun. At the summit was an old look out, and I’m sure on a better day there would have been an astounding view, but since the clouds dominated everything, there wasn’t anything to see. But I had reached my goal of climbing to a new highest pinnacle. Granite Mountain stands at 5629 ft., just 45 feet taller than nearby Mt. Defiance, but that that’s all it takes to keep going up. My next goal is to climb a mountain that is 5700 ft tall, and then climb mountains that are each 100-200 ft. taller than the previous one. A cursory glance at my hiking books suggest that this might be Sasse Mountain (5730ft) or Mt. Dickerman (5723ft), the latter being a well regarded climb.

Well, there wasn’t much to photograph on Granite mountain, but here are a few dreary pics.

Cathcing Up

2010-08-04T23:37:00.011-04:00

Oh man, I'm sooo far behind in reporting my hiking adventures. I have been so busy lately, but now summer is on in force and I have a chance to catch my breath. So in this posting I’m going to give a brief rundown of all my hiking for the past couple of months, and then post a few pic at the end.

My last report was about my first expedition to Mt. Rainier. I have since made 3 others, and I plan to make, hopefully, 3 more over the next couple of months (I’ve got to get my money’s worth for my pass; next year I’m buying a Rainier only pass, not a full NP pass).

As most of you know, I’ve been dealing with some extreme hearing issues. Because of that reason, and others, I’ve had to stay behind and not join the Mt. Rainier team this year. They climbed the mountain this last weekend and I’ve not yet heard how it went. I hope to join them next year, or the next time they climb, and I make my summit bid when the time is right. I have peace about all this, believing it was a word from God to not go.

When last I wrote I had reached a new high altitude record of 7500 ft. My second Rainier expedition allowed me to get to about 8500ft before I started feeling “off”. 8000 ft is where altitude sickness can first kick in, but I think I was more just out of shape and carrying too much weight. The third expedition saw foul weather, but since I was there for a school assignment, that wasn’t such a big deal. I got a perfect score on that assignment by the way. My forth trip, just a few weeks ago, I smashed all my previous records, reaching Camp Muir at 10,188ft!!! It took me five grueling hours and I nearly ran out of water (I descended with only ½ a liter)! On my next trip I plan to carry enough gear to spend the night at Camp Muir.

I’ve had several other adventures too. I hiked up Mt. Bandera with Dad, which was an absolute blast, just because of who was with me. I also climbed Mt. Defiance, which is next door to Mt. Bandera. I found Defiance to be much harder, but much more fun, because of all the deep snow and even some light rock climbing too. I also went up Mt. Baker, a 10,000 footer, but got sick at the high camp at 7200ft and did not summit. And finally just a few weeks ago I returned to West Tiger Mountain, the first real mountain I ever climbed. I ascended that one while I was a student in MCs. When I first took it on in 2005, I was challenged beyond comprehension. When I returned for the second climb, found it WAY WAY to easy! That shows how far I come.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my hike with Jacob Wyatt back in Michigan, where we covered 16 miles of the Manistee River Trail in two days. The return 8 miles took ½ the time as the first 8 thanks to Jacob’s extreme pace, courtesy of his athleticism. I think he would find the mountaineering technique called the “Rest Step” to be really annoying. But despite the brutal pace I found the whole trip to be very enjoyable and relaxing, and the company was superb.

Well there you have it folks. That's a mad dash through all my hiking adventures. So here now is a few photos. The first 3 are from Mt. Baker, the last 3 are from my most recent hike up Rainier. Enjoy.

Welsh Summit in Afganistan!

2010-07-28T17:12:00.003-04:00

Cool article about a mountain climb in Afghanistan by a Welsh team (with one American too). Check it out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-10758430

I'd like to go on a grand expedition someday. They don't happen too often these days because almost everything has already been summited and there's no real need for another major expedition. But people do still stage them every now and again, even for mountains that don't need a first ascent.

7500ft!

2010-05-09T18:33:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I hiked to what, I believe, is the highest elevation any Cronkright has yet hiked, a staggering 7500 ft. above sea level. I could be wrong though on holding the record (how high was that trail in Hawaii?), but I certainly achieved a new personal best. In fact, I achieved that when I stepped out of the car in the parking lot!

Where, do you ask, was I hiking? Well, I'll tell you. I was trekking up the Muir Snowfield on the flank of Mt. Rainier. I'll post a full description of my adventure in an upcoming post. But for now, I'd like take a moment and give some appreciation the pursuits of altitude.

The more I hike trails and climb mountains, the more I discover what my favorite types of trails are. I'll hike just about anywhere, but Alpine hiking is definitely the pinnacle experience for me. And, while I enjoy climbing all manner of peaks, I find the most excitement climbing the ones with snow on top. For some mountains, this means climbing them only during late fall through early spring. In fact most guide books specifically tell you to only tackle some mountains from June to August (usually to protect the unprepared, but not always). But for other mountains, like where I was hiking yesterday, the snow can always be found if you just hike high enough.

There's just something about suiting up with snowboots and snowpants, and then strapping on crampons (or in my case, YakTrax, the poor man's crampons) and gaiters, and taking on the extreme terrain of the alpine trails. Its magical and charming, yet extreme and adventurous. To feel your feet sinking in the snow, and to experience the radiant wonder of the mountain views, is incomparable. The Muir Snowfield is like the bunny hill of mountaineering, but for me its a place to imagine I'm ascending Mt. Everest, or tackling the Vincent Massif. I feel like I'm a part of some great expedition. Its a taste of whats to come.

In fact, I got a great taste of the future when I reached a certain altitude where the flora disappeared. For the first time ever I had climbed high enough that I was above the treeline. There was nothing around me but snow and a few exposed volcanic rocks. The treeline is what separates mountaineering from traditional hiking. It really was a special moment.

As I said, I'll post a full report, complete with pictures of my climb, and either before or after that I'm going to write another musing on the significance of altitude. But for now, I'll leave you with a little teaser.

Return to Bandera Mountain

2009-11-29T19:11:00.005-05:00

November can't keep me from the mountains! I had never hiked on snow before, but yesterday, as part of a very relaxing Thanksgiving weekend, I decided to take on the base of Bandera Mountain. My goal was to reach Mason Lake via the Ira Spring Trail.

There was a light, soft drizzle for most of my adventure, and after just 45 minutes the trail got even more interesting as I hit snow line. My rain gear held up and my new winter hiking boots handled the terrain expertly. After just a little over an hour on the trail I left the cover of the trees and entered into a clearing that marks the approach to the summit. With the snow much deeper, I quickly put on my brand new gaiters and trudged on. Every tenth step or so I sank in into soft powder, but for the most part the trail was well packed by the snowshoes of previous travelers.

All went smoothly until just a little after 2pm, when it was clear the weather was closing in and my chances of hiking in the dark were rapidly increasing. You see, I only started to hike a little after noon (I slept in way too much), and so I was forced back before things got dangerous. Strangely, six more hikers in two seperate groups were still trying for the summit after me. They almost certainly made their decent after dark. I chatted briefly with one of them, a guy named Xeno, giving what information I could of the trail ahead.

Here are two short videos that I shot shortly after I started back down to the trailhead.

The BIG Island - - Hawa'ii

2009-10-25T19:13:00.034-04:00

A few photos from our trip to Volcano National Park on Hawa'ii. Wil, Krista, Abigail, Ethan, Mike and Lynn, October 2009

the view of Mauna Loa from above the clouds

Abigail is ready to run down the trail!

what a cutie!

Wil running across a lava field

the lava flow across the road

oh, you think?

the steam plume where the lava is hitting the ocean

lava field

we went and saw the lava flow at night....from a 1/2 mile away.

it was hard to take pictures since we didn't have the best camera

for this but these give you an idea anyways

a Ne' Ne'

Wil geo-caching at South Point

We found it!

the LOG

Abigail at South Point

South Point: the southernly most part of the United States (the actual states that is)

entrance to the lighted portion of the Thurston Lava Tube

entrance to the unlighted part of Thurston Lava Tube

inside the Thurston Lava Tube

more inside the Thurston Lava Tube

at the end of the Thurston Lava Tube

Devastation Trail

Abigail getting busy with the camera!

The Steam Vents

view near the "trail of devastation"

My Recent Invitation

2009-10-24T20:22:00.005-04:00

I got a phone call today from a friend of mine named Bruce. He's an avid hiker and vetern of Mt. Rainier (he's made something like 4-5 trips to the summit). He was calling to invite me to join a team and climb Washington's most inconic peak this summer! If all goes well, I'll have a chance to tackle the tallest mountain in the lower 48 this coming July. I have many many pictures of Mt. Rainier, but hopefully I'll get to post some pictures looking down off of it! I'll keep everyone posted, but for now I'm just excited by the possibility.

Also, I climbed Mt. Pilchuck with a friend 1-2 months ago, but never posted any pictures of the trip because I left my camera in the car! I'll post a few of my friend's pictures hopefully soon, once I procure them from him.

Dave

DALMAC 2009

2009-09-07T14:12:00.013-04:00

This is a different kind of trail... DALMAC 2009. 328 miles over 5 days. Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge. Great weather! grueling uphills often followed by exhilarating downhills. Mike's max speed 38 mph, mine 33 mph.

Torch Lake

Mike riding up "the wall"

getting ready to ride

my odometer at the end of the trip

Lake Michigan

I don't look victorious, just tired

One of the many groups of kids lining the way cheering on the "DALMACers"

Bandera Mountain - Part 3

2009-08-29T10:21:00.004-04:00

I REALLY REALLY wanted to go hiking today, but the weather is terrible. Weather.com says that there will be scattered thunderstorms right about the time I would have summited whatever peak I chose. Seriously, I'm not really excited about the possibility of getting struck by lighting. This is major setback because I only have a few weekends left to hike before school starts up again. To reach my Summer of Summits goal I'm actually planning on doing two mountains in one day, climbing Silver Peak (5603 ft.), and then Mt. Catherine (5052 ft.) or Tinkham Peak (5295 ft.). This is possible because they are all along the same trail.

But since I'm stuck at home today, I might as well post the final set of photos from my hike up Mt. Bandera. The first five pictures were all taken from the summit of the mountain, and the very last image was taken during my descent. Snow is a feature in images one and two, and I had a fun time sliding on my butt down part of a slope (hiking back up was another matter). There was snow on part of Mt. Si too back in may when I climbed it.

If you haven't already, click on the pictures themselves to see them in their full size, and then go back and do the same with the last two posts. You will be taken back by the beauty of the mountain presented in such detail! Enjoy!

Bandera Mountain - Part 2

2009-08-17T20:31:00.004-04:00

Here are some more spectacular images from Bandera Mountain! I've been delayed in posting these due to a busy school schedule (full time work + class = not fun, and no hiking too!!!). Now I'll have some time to tackle a few more peaks, but in the mean time, I'll post parts 2 and 3 of my Bandera Mt. adventure.

The photos below were taken mostly from the beginning of the true Bandera Trail, as it leaves the Ira Spring Trail and climbs a super steep set of switchbacks to the summit. Photos 1 and 3 should give you an idea of just how steep it was. Some (IMHO "crazy") people hiked up the slope just fine, but I opted to use my hands for most of the way. Photo 4 was taken, I believe, near the summit, and it is one of the best pictures of Rainier this trip produced. Photo 5 was taken from the Summit of Bandera Mt., looking at the backside of the mountain. I believe the peak in that photo to be Mt. Defiance, and the pleasant pool below it is called Mason Lake.

In my next entry in this series I will show you some of my best summit photos! The world is absolutely beautiful above 5000 ft!

The Ira Spring Trail/Bandera Mountain - Part 1

2009-06-28T16:42:00.008-04:00

There were so many amazing photos from my trip up Bandera Mountain that I can't easily put them all in one post. So what I'll have to do is break them up into 3 different entries and show only the very best pictures. The photos will be presented in basically the order I took them as I traveled up the mountainside. These spectacular images will only get better and better with elevation, and the picture of Mt. Rainier is literally like the tip of the iceberg. All of the pictures in this entry are from the Ira Spring Trail. This path is named after a famous Washington hiker and wilderness photographer who passed away in 2003, and it leads up to the Bandera and Defiance trails, as well as several mountain lakes (sadly, I wasn't able to visit any of these lakes). Enjoy!

The Summer of Summits 2009

2009-06-28T14:50:00.006-04:00

I have just returned from an amazing hike up Bandera Mountain, and while I was traversing this beautiful wilderness, and mastering a challenging peak, I had an idea. I decided I would make it my goal this summer is to climb five peaks that are over 5000 ft. tall! In fact, I am actually hoping for seven summits, but five is simply a more reasonable goal. Bandera Mountain was the first of these hikes, and at the top I reached an elevation of approximately 5150 ft. I'll tell more about that adventure when I release the photos from that climb, hopefully later this week.

This is a fairly ambitious goal, but its very doable considering that I live probably within an hour and a half from two dozen of these mountains. In fact, according to one website, there are 113 5000+ ft. peaks in Washington State! So let the Summer of Summits begin! Also, I would like to encourage my fellow ATCOTAT writers to conquer some of their own summits and share their adventures here. Tim & Jessica, consider Clingmans Dome (4,503 ft.) and Thunderhead Mountain (5,527!). Mom & Dad, perhaps you should try Mount Arvon, the highest point in Michigan (which is actually a very sad 1,972 ft., but we can still show some Michigan pride, right) or Giant Mountain (4,626) in New York. Truly, there is a Summer of Summits waiting for everyone.

As for me, next up is Mount Defiance (5,584), an adjacent peak to Bandera Mountain, complete with its own mountain lake, and in late July I hope to tackle the American Ridge (6,946!!). Also, Granite Mountain , McClellan Butte, and Silver Peak are on my short list. This inaugural Summer of Summits is going to be spectacular!

Mount Si.

2009-05-28T13:41:00.013-04:00

This trail dog has summiting into his blood. Last Memorial Day I ventured once again to North Bend, Wa, this time to climb the big brother of the previous hike, Mount Si, one of Washington's most popular trails. The trip is 8 miles long, four up and four down, and it was extremely challanging for this vetern hiker but novice summiter. Different sources argue for different final heights, but I'll use one source that says 3900 ft. (there is some evidence that its actually more than 4000 ft.) , with an amazing 3150 ft. elevation gain.

So here are some of the best pictures from the trip:

The picture of me was taken atop the true summit of Mt. Si, called the "haystack", a scramble

that is several hundred feet tall. Climbing the haystack was tricky and very scary, but definently worth it for the accomplishment alone.

My next hike will either be a sunrise hike up Mt. Si, or possibly a trek up Little Bandera Mountain, which is supposedly 5000+ ft. tall! Also, in the near future I will be releasing Notes from the Log Episode 2, detailing my entire adventure on Mt. Si.

Notes from the Log - Episode 1

2009-04-24T20:31:00.009-04:00

Well friends, here is a video I produced about one part of the Sheltowee Trace. It's one of a series of log entries I made while on that trail, and this one reveals a certain 100 foot stand alone rock face next to the Cumberland River. I must apologize for the graininess of the images (I am in desperate need of better equipment). But the excitement of the journey is not lost in the footage and I hope to produce more films about the Cronkright family's adventures in the Wild places of America.

Enjoy!

March 2009: Sheltowee Trace Trail

2009-04-12T22:17:00.004-04:00

Sections 33-28, Yamacraw Bridge to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, near Whitley City, KY. Approximately 30 miles.
Trail notes: poorly marked, ambiguous, dead leaf covered trails
Weather: low 30's at night, 50-60 during the day. No rain, sunny most of the time
Advice: there may not be any mosquitos but there are ticks. A good map is a must if you want to walk this trail.
Highlights:
Day One: the adventure of getting a back-country camping permit. we hadn’t thought about the fact that it was Saturday and the Ranger Station might be closed. Oops. Thankfully, we had enough phone numbers and were able to find a place: the FastWay Marathon in Stearns.
Day Two: waking up this first morning to ice on the food bags. Spending lots of time puzzling out the trail as the markers were few and far between. A mixture of diamonds and turtles.
Day Three: As we broke camp, two stray pups came running out of the woods. A little later an older "trail hound" joined us near a trailhead. We nicknamed the older dog "Chubby P. McFatso" . They followed us all the way to the end of the trail. We took Chubby back to the trailhead where he joined us and took the pups back home with us.
Getting separated into two groups (Tim/Jess/Dave, Mike/Lynn), climbing to tops of hills to leave voice mail for each other. Figuring out that it would probably have been a good idea for each person to carry a map. Still being separated at days end. Good thing each group was self-sufficient except for a map!
Day Four: long trek through dry country. Coming out on a road and seeing smoke across the way. 20-30 DNR/volunteer fire vehicles passing us over the next hour as we (Mike/Lynn) trudged down the road looking for the next trail head. Spending an hour at the bridge by the river de-ticking. Getting a ranger to take Tim to where we left a vehicle since Mike/Lynn had all the keys to the one parked at trail end. Some of us never seeing Cumberland Falls after all. Too tired to walk down to them. Pizza, beer and a long drive home for the designated drivers.

Little Si

2009-03-16T21:55:00.007-04:00

These are some of my favorite photos from a recent day hike to Little Si Mountain in North Bend, WA.

The hunt for more trails continues!