AIARE 1

Upward and onward!

A couple of weeks ago I took an AIARE (American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education) course via The Mountaineers, and taught by the good people at BC Adventure Guides.

We spent a couple lecture days in Tacoma going over the materials, watching videos and getting a handle on avalanches in general.

Questions were asked and answered, coffee was consumed and one guy had the wrong classroom.

The following weekend we met for the field portion at Snoqualmie Pass.

Witchcraft, clearly.

DAY ONE (DAY THREE OF CLASS)

Checked NWAC before leaving the house.

We marched up around Silver Fir Lodge to become acquainted with our avalanche beacons and to delve into companion rescue.

It didn’t take long to realize just how screwed you are if you are buried without a beacon.

In very little time at all we went from barely knowing how to turn the things on to locating buried beacons in the snow as a team.

If we had to find the same beacons using only probes….we’d still be looking.

Life and death right there. Seriously.

“And on the first day he dugeth a test pit and saw that it was good”

DAY TWO (DAY FOUR OF CLASS)

Checked NWAC before leaving (there is a theme here)

Today was about putting everything we learned together into a mini tour of Mt.Hyak.

We dug a couple pits and made many field observations along the way.

Whichwaysthewinda’blowin’? Howhardisshea’howlin’? Howmuchsnosa’snowin’?

With the NW slope of Mt.Catherine as our backdrop we focused on snowpack observations and field tests.

Our Rutschblock Test was particularly amusing and insightful.

Skiers curiously eyeballed us as they occasioned by, some even asked about our findings

Oh that reminds me, our “avalanche victims” deserve a round of applause as well…Daytime Emmys for everybody!

Through the woods

As we traveled back to the parking lot some ideas started congealing in my brain:

Reluctant to part with the money for a beacon…?

Experiencing firsthand the difference an avalanche beacon makes when trying to locate an avalanche victim is stunning.

If you don’t want to buy one, you could always rent one instead. BCAdventures offered rentals, as well as a list of retailers that rented beacons as well.

Remember: Money… you can’t take it with you!

“This is some serious s#!t buddy!”

Winter time travel in the mountains is inherently dangerous and many of our familiar summer routes bear grave avalanche risk in the winter months.

Sadly, some kill year after year.

Any loaded slope of sufficient grade can slide and various terrain features can exacerbate that risk.

Knowing how to choose terrain is probably the single greatest thing you can do to save your life.

I probably could have learned this stuff on my own…

Yeah I suppose you could, in theory.

I knew a lot of things going into this class, but I left it with more than I probably would have ever learned by myself.

Also, there is no substitute for learning from an experienced guide that can answer all of your questions… well, about avalanches anyway.

Would you take this course again in hindsight?

Absolutely.

Der Rutschblock

Do you know avalanche terrain?

Maybe you are missing out on deeper backcountry because you are too cautious?

Maybe you’ve had one foot in the grave for years without ever even knowing it?

Do you know?

I highly suggest taking an AIARE 1 course in your area if you ever intend to travel in avalanche terrain. (aka teh intir mowntens)

If you don’t, you’ll be happy the person who digs you out did.

If you get dug out…

Happy Trails!

 

 

 

Bitter Creek: The Finale

A lot nicer without those pesky clouds

Ok yeah, I’m starting to sound a little like a broken record.

Initially I wasn’t planning on heading back up to Bitter Creek so soon, but I gave the Greek a call and it just so happened he was looking to take some friends on a moderate snowshoe.

“You don’t say. Hmm, you know I might have just the place”…

Plus, with the weather on Friday, the views were sure to be there.

La pared de hielo

01JAN2016 New Years Day

I got to Index half hour early or so, the wind was just screaming up the US-2 corridor.

Fortunately Heybrook Ridge and the Gunn Peak Massif blocked pretty much all of the wind in the North Fork Sky valley.

The Greek and his friends showed up a little after nine and we were off.

There were fresh footprints along the track, but they fell off at the shooting range.

Really, there isn’t too much to report. The track is solid all the way up with heaping portions of peace, quiet and solitude.

By the time we got up into the cirque some of the party was running out of steam and they stopped for lunch.

The Greek and I continued up towards the ice wall, but the pull of cheese and sausage was too much for him and he fell off and descended back to the feast.

Sausage eaters

Wind slab from high above was a slight concern and we’d seen a couple small releases on the way up, mostly powder rivulets. In the cirque itself, surface hoar was abundant. (Always check NWAC)

Alongside Bitter Creek, a gully had run out, and high on Jump-Off Ridge the crisp lines of recently released slabs were visibly glinting in the sunlight.

Views were fantastic. The wall and other ice features seemed to glow dimly in the shade of the cirque. High above, the ridge lines were laced with golden light.

The North Fork Sky valley was framed perfectly by the walls of the cirque, and approximately in the middle were three human shapes, bonding over sausage.

The trip down rewarded us with warming sun and rapidly evolving views of the jagged visage of the Index-Persis complex across the way.

I placed a quarter near the bottom for a size comparison.

THE BOTTOM LINE

All in all I think it took our group 3 hours up and 1.5 or so down.

Now that the route has been brushed and a trail well stomped in, it’s golden, just waiting there for you.

Lots of animal sign, but I think our group of four probably scared off anything within earshot because we didn’t see any critters this time.

Oh, and just my two cents:

Shooters, I like to shoot a gun as much as the next guy. I am not “anti-gun” or “anti-shooting”. What I am “anti” is you people leaving a giant f&%#ing mess wherever you go.

Clean up your $#!t and maybe the Forest Service and outdoor enthusiasts will be a little more sympathetic to your outdoor usage needs.

Frankly, you should be your brother’s keeper out there and pack out the crap your less considerate fellows left behind.

I do it, I’m always picking up candy wrappers and water bottles that jackass hikers left behind.

Love it or leave it, bruh… and I don’t mean leave your $#!t.

Happy Trails!

 

 

Bitter Creek: The Return(s)

I thought this one turned out OK.

I went up to the Bitter Creek Cirque “trail” again on Christmas Day.

(UPDATE: Road is now periodically opened after Lewis Creek.)

Not surprisingly mine were the only tracks heading up the snowy old road… well besides the deer and bobcat tracks.

Just before the Canyon Creek crossing I ran into the deer.

A Columbian Black Tailed Deer, no antlers. Looked pretty young.

A touch of blue

 

We eyeballed each other for a minute before he bounded, well kinda plunged. Sunk maybe? His technique needed practice.

After the Nameless Creek crossing the snow became much more powdery, with frequent, sometimes deep wind deposits.

By the time I was in the switchbacks, it was starting to wear me down.

When I finally got to Bitter Creek I was out of steam.

I didn’t have much time before I had to turn around for Christmas obligations, so I sat down, had lunch and drank from the creek like a wild beast.

Christmas was calling.

SUNDAY, 27DEC2015

Boldly drove beyond the periodic road closure (and county maintenance), all the way to the trailhead in a 2WD Mazda, admittedly not the best idea for everybody.

Immediately at the gate I was surprised to see someone had gone up the trail in my absence!

They were on snowshoes, and occasionally skis, it would seem with limited success.

I’ll level with you, the trip up was a lot easier on the ol’legs with a well beaten snowshoe track in place!

Oh, and “someone” had remembered to bring a Corona saw this time and cleared a lot of deadfall and such along the grade.

Snow started falling pretty regularly by the time we reached the switchbacks. I felt a slight twinge thinking about the car.

At Bitter Creek most hopes for any real vast scenery were dashed by the constant snow.

Homeboy’s tracks were still going, blasting right past my previous stopping point.

Beyond the end of the road began treeless terrain. A beautiful waterfall lies just before the last couple dozen feet of elevation to the cirque floor.

I continued on, following the tracks into the cirque but split ways as I headed for a high spot in the middle to get a look at the large icewall at the ESE base of the cirque.

During my visit I got a chance to catch a few avalanches coming down from the SW wall.

Towards the icewall.

Long views were elusive this time around, but they’ll be there next time. We’d already surpassed our turnaround time so our stay was brief.

The trip down was about 25% in the dark, exacerbated by that slight twinge I mentioned earlier about the car. At least a couple of inches had fallen during the course of our trip.

There would be digging, of this I was sure.

Really it wasn’t too much of a pain in the ass. I only had to dig to get us turned around, and again when we got a little high centered going up a hill.

Can’t wait until my Subaru gets out of the shop!

THE BOTTOM LINE

Prep work’s done, Jack: At least until the next storm cycle there is a solid snowshoe track well into Bitter Creek Cirque.

Lotsa Wildlife: I’ve seen animals every time I’ve visited, still haven’t seen the bobcat yet though.

No Crowds: Oh wait, except for the visitor on Friday or Saturday. Thanks for breaking the rest of the way!

Beyond Me: I don’t know a thing about ice climbing, but that ice wall might be worth a visit.

Anyway, shouldn’t have to tell you but: this is avalanche country!

As always check NWAC before heading off into the mountains in these winter months

Happy Trails!

 

 

 MAPS

USGS BARING

USGS INDEX

 

 

#Optoutsideafterwork

Ashes to ashes…

I was up at 4AM on Black Friday.

Not for the savings bonanzas or the ol’ fashioned tramplings, nor for the buyer’s remorse or the last item on the shelf fist fights.

No, like many of us I worked, but #Optedoutside the minute I got out!

Didn’t have a lot of time, with the sun being so stingy in these winter months, so a short walk to Franklin, WA, an old coal mining ghost town fit the bill.

“New” ruins

Eh, it’s got a spooky ol’ cemetery anyway. Who needs light when you have ghosts?

We parked at the small cemetery along SE Green River Gorge Rd. and began our walk.

Someone has done a lot of work to improve the road heading up to Franklin. What has historically been a muddy grade now has a new layer of gravel on top of it.

The trails have been liberally brushed, and some sites that I hadn’t seen in a decade of visiting this place have been cleared of vegetation.

A heartfelt “Huzzah!” to the volunteers and their efforts!

We reached the graveyard after the sun had disappeared beneath the horizon. No ghosts, but plenty of ambiance.

Heading back we encountered some people who decided that dropping a road flare down the 1300′ mine shaft would be a good idea. We were just in time for the show.

The flare erupted in a magnesium flash, brilliantly contrasting the decaying twilight.

Sweet Jeebus no!

Within seconds it was gone, screaming it’s way to the bottom. A robust slap announced it’s arrival with mine’s icy waters.

Darkness. Then inexplicably a light began to flicker from the ghostly depths. A menacing glow struggled to life.

Looking down the stygian pit, pulsating red with sulfurous smoke, it really was a vision of hell.

After the flare burnt out we ambled back to the car, both of us the better for #optingoutside…

Then promptly #optedforthriftshopping at the Goodwill where I got a couple of nice merino wool sweaters, 50%off!

Score!

Happy Trails,

Harry Biped

Catching those last rays

GETTING THERE

Head to the center of Black Diamond, WA. Turn east on Lawson Street (There is a Los Cabos and a Cenex station at the intersection) this road will change names a number of times.

Continue on this road for about 3 miles then start looking for a small graveyard on the east side of the road. This is probably the best parking available. Hike south on the road to a gated off area. This is the trailhead.

 

 

 

Bitter Creek

Index-Galena washout…again.

Took a trip up to the Bitter Creek cirque via the abandoned forest service road (NF-6310 on google maps)

Not really looking for anything particular this time, but there are mines in the area.

I’d say this is a moderate, albeit brushy hike for most people in reasonable shape. If you are a vigilante trail worker you might wanna bring a saw or loppers.

There are a couple of gully/creek crossings that may be difficult or impossible to pass in high water.

Wildlife was abundant. Grouse on every other switchback, lots of bobcat “sign”, and even surprised some mountain goats at one of the gully crossings!

Las cabras monteses

There is also a great deal of old growth to see at the higher elevations of the road.

Entering the cirque was like hiking in a whole new land.

A light but heavily crystallized snow coated the grade and a steady cold air flowing from the mountain kept the cirque in a perpetually frosted state.

This effect was more pronounced near the creek and in low troughs.

The road splits near it’s end, the left route is said to take you to a gully in which are a couple of mines (I have not yet visited)

The cirque head

The right route heads toward the cirque head but terminates not long after the fork.

I found flagging and evidence of a bootpath that may continue into the cirque, a climber’s route perhaps, but due to time constraints, this for me was the end of the line.

Bitter Creek

I’d definitely recommend this to the more adventurous hiker seeking to explore some new ground, but it’s difficulty is low enough that most reasonably healthy people could make the trip.

That being said, it is overgrown and has enough deadfalls that it could pose problems to less experienced hikers.

PACKITINPACKITOUT!

The road less traveled…

THE NUMBERS

Distance: 8 miles RT ± (13km RT±) from roadblock

Gain: 1,640ft ± (500m ±)

Difficulty: YDS 1-2

GETTING THERE

Take the US-2 to Index-Galena Rd. continue along Index-Galena Rd. until roadblock at Lewis Creek. Hike approx 1 mile to NF-6310.

RED TAPE

I think you might need a NW Forest Pass. The Index-Galena Road is currently (DEC2015) closed at the Lewis Creek parking area, so you’ll have to hoof it from there.

MAPS

USGS BARING

USGS INDEX

 

 

 

 

Damon Point

That’s the big water.

Wind, waves and wildlife are all found in abundance at Ocean Shore’s Damon Point!

The walk is self-guided (no-trail) and is approximately four miles around the entire peninsula.

Spawn till you die!

Alternatively, an abandoned road leads to the center of the vegetated area. It can be hard to see unless you are on top of it, but I assure you it’s there. This makes travel into the peninsula’s heart far easier, and less environmentally intrusive. (Aside from the road’s very being there of course)

The interior is mostly beach grass and Scotch Broom with a few hardier native species sprinkled around for good measure. There are small marshes and channels interspersed as well, so watch your step.

Beachcombing will undoubtedly turn up lots of driftwood, shells, agates and other interesting odds and ends.

Many parts of the surf zone have a deep relief change resulting in dramatic waves when conditions are right. Surf’s up dood!

Currently (as of 2015) there exists a driftwood beach shack at the southern end, which can make a great place to get out of the wind and have a picnic.

On clear days Damon Point offers views of the Olympics, Westport and even Mt.Rainier.

WILDLIFE

This place is a bird watchers paradise!

Deep inside the Scotch Broom

Many species of sea and shorebirds frequent the area such as the ‘Near-threatened’ Snowy Plover.

Streaked Horned Lark are a threatened species which use the point for nesting, for this reason the DNR has erected signs around the perimeter of the peninsula’s vegetated center closing the area off to wanderers from March 1st- September 15th.

Staying out during this time isn’t just a courtesy, it’s the law.

Probably the most famous avian visitors to Damon Point are the Snowy Owls, which can occasionally congregate on the windswept spit in the winter months. This in turn can attract throngs of bird watchers, which serves to attract bird watcher watchers, and the watchers who watch them. Lots of watching going on here.

 

Artistic flora

Seriously. It happens…maybe.

Deer, if you didn’t notice on the drive in, are found in ridiculous numbers on the Ocean Shores peninsula, and the Scotch Broom forest of Damon Point is no exception.

HISTORY

As mentioned before, at one time a road spanned into the heart of the park, but has since been destroyed by raging storms. You can still walk the remains of it to the Ye olde abandoned parking area. Oooh scary!

In the early 1960s the S.S. Catala served as a “Boatel” in Ocean Shores, before being run ashore at Damon Point by the New Year’s Day Storm of ’65.

There it languished until the 1980’s, when a girl fell through the ship’s deteriorated deck, breaking her back. The resulting lawsuit forced the state to cut the wreck apart and bury it.

S.S. Catala

In the 1990’s the wreck was exhumed by winter storms, with subsequent storms revealing more and more of the wreckage.

In 2006, a hiker noticed oil leaking from the badly rusted hull. In response, the state department of ecology remediated the site, ultimately removing 34,500 gallons of heavy fuel oil and all traces of the S.S. Catala.

CONSIDERATIONS

Dog walking is a popular activity at Damon Point, but please keep your dog on a leash, and especially out of the vegetated swaths of the park.

Ground nesting birds and dogs don’t mix.

Unfortunately garbage is abundant. Bottles, derelict fishing gear, shoes, socks, the kitchen sink… There is a lot washed up from the Pacific and from years of careless visitors.

Just came on the market!

If you think ahead, do a good thing and bring a garbage bag to pack out some of the crap.

You’ll probably notice that the garbage cans onsite are often overflowing with floatsam and jetsam, so take the trash with you.

Ask a local business to use their dumpster, they’ll likely oblige and appreciate your hard work.

Storm watching can be a fun activity for some of us, but bear in mind that high tide and high surf can easily send breakers right across the point. After all, in this article alone they have already beached a boat and destroyed a road!

You could be sent across along with them…

GETTING THERE

Find your way to Ocean Shores, WA.

Enter Ocean Shores via the fabulous 1960’s era white stone gateway. This is Point Brown Avenue.

Simply follow it south until you see the scary derelict hotel, then look for parking.

RED TAPE

No pass required for parking!

The park is Day-use only, dawn to dusk.

The only other red tape is the annual March 1st-September 15th travel ban through the park’s interior areas to protect threatened nesting sites.

 

PACKITINPACKITOUT!

…and of course, Happy Trails!

Wilson’s Warning

Ol’ Blewett

Ol’Blewett

Rain, rain and more rain was on the forecast today. Despite that, armchair enthusiasm was running high!

We headed up for Snoqualmie Pass, bolstered by rumor that there was enough snow to make it worth the effort to break the snowshoes from their long, long hibernation.

Well, there was snow, but it was a lot higher than any of us really cared to hike in this sorta November slop.

So instead Blewett!

If it’s rainy on the west side, it’s usually a little less so over there. The fact that the place is absolutely steeped in mining history is another selling point, at least so long as I’m concerned.

The Arrastra

We got to the old townsite and took a quick tour.

First we swung by the arrastra, a curious artifact sandwiched between the US 97 and Peshastin Creek just south of the Blewett historical marker.

The Crushenator

The second site we visited was the remains of the old stamp mill, which is in surprisingly good condition considering the proximity to the highway. Definitely a gem hidden in plain sight for the history minded road tripper.

Briefly we headed back down the highway thinking that a hike along Negro Creek would be fun, but with the high water, didn’t seem worth the treacherous crossing. So…back to Blewett.

We built this city on Rock n’ Roll

We followed the little footpath which passes the Keynote Tunnel and followed it to it’s end before beginning  uphill.

Two thick metal cables were stretched down the hillside, inviting us upwards to find their source.

Gaining the ridge granted us some beautiful views of the surrounding hillsides partitioned by low, soggy looking clouds.

Nuclear Moss

Continuing up, we passed countless collapsed adits and cuts, sometimes marked by small piles of shattered, milky quartz left behind by those who still search these hills for precious metal.

One small cut even contained a pick axe and shovel. Modern no doubt, but waterlogged and weathered.

Old tram something probably

The ridge made a nice stopping point and allowed us ample views up and down the US97 corridor.

Leaving the ridge, we opted for a more direct path to the car.

CONSIDERATIONS

Blewett can be a fun place to visit, but be aware that there is a lot of privately claimed land in the area and many potential hazards in the form of open shafts and deteriorating tunnels.

Respect all private property postings, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because many sites are full of hazards, and… some people can get pretty weird when that funny yellow metal is involved. Just a friendly word of caution.

As always PACKITINPACKITOUT!, leave it better than you found it, take only pictures leave only feet prints, and especially in the Blewett area: STAY OUT, STAY ALIVE

It is in these hills that Juan Valdez and his trusty mule…

Happy Trails!

 

 

 

 

 

Greenwater’s Area 51 or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Cold War

WTF?!

Did you ever happen to catch The Prisoner? If you are an American I’m guessing probably not.

I happened to have a grandma who was hooked on BBC shows. Consequently I was just as likely to be sat down in front of Monty Python as I was Sesame Street.

Bad rover! Bad!

Anyway, on the show The Prisoner there was this strange white orb called The Rover. It kept the prisoners from escaping “The Village” by incapacitating them, I seem to recall that it could even kill people.

Get walkin’

It made an impact on me as a kid, and the bizarre thing continues to dwell somewhere in my psyche.

Then one day driving down the Hwy 410, there it was. Looming white in contrast to the stately evergreen blanket beneath it. What was the Rover doing here in real life? and in Washington State?

I decided to do some internet research…and then the story got a little weirder.

Turns out that the mysterious white orb was a “gap-filler” radome built during the cold war to detect low flying Soviet Bombers. While that’s not incredibly remarkable, the fact that it is even there may be…

я покажу вам Кузька и мать!

On paper the thing was planned, but never built. Yet there it is, boldly standing in defiance to it’s own non-existence along the Hwy 410.

According to the information I found, the site’s ID designation was to be P-1B

I was also able to get my hands on a current flight planning map, on which it is simply marked as ‘radome’.

Nothing unusual here…

THEORIES

1. Bond villain hideout
2. Aliens bro!
3. Exclusive nightclub?

The site is hemmed in with barbed wire topped chain-link and to add a little bit to the mystery, the private property signs are completely devoid of any information as to identity of the operators.

It’s not flying, so it’s not a UFO

An L-shaped building with blacked out windows is also within the fenced area.

Numerous security cameras watch your every move with silent vigilance. A tin foil hat might help keep them out of your thoughts.

Tin Foil Cat

Honestly if I were to guess I’d bet this is a Boeing site, but admittedly I base that on very little.

Firstly they are the largest aviation company in the area. (…and the second largest defense contractor on the earth.)

Two-stly, the private property signs look very much like the ones posted around Boeing property.

Shaky? Maybe, but I think it holds up to Occam’s Razor better than Bond Villain nightclub staffed by Aliens. (But I want it to be so badly!)

RED TAPE

THIS TRIP MAY BE ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, but…

So far as I could tell there is no legal reason you cannot visit the area, so long as you do not attempt to enter the enclosure itself which is clearly marked as private property.

The Hancock gate at the bottom does not state that a Hancock Forest Pass is required for walk-in entry, but this could be out of date, or subject to change at any time.

Is it just me, or does this look…dirty?

Know before you go. Trespassing is trespassing, and usually moreso if you are being a general nuisance.

GETTING THERE

If you are driving SE on the SR 410 during the daylight hours, you will probably notice this thing hanging out on top of the hills north of the highway.

You’ll have to deduce which logging road you will have to take to get you up to the thing. The correct one has a rather large open area to park, and past the gate, starts climbing immediately.

If you get to Federation Forest, you’ve driven too far. (but Federation Forest is another great place to go roaming around!)

When walking up the logging road there are a couple of intersections, when in doubt, stay right.

As always, PACKITINPACKITOUT!

Oh, and if you ever plan to have children, don’t hang around this thing too long.

Avon calling!

Happy Trails!

 

 

Copper Lake 3961′

Heaven ain’t got nothin’ on this place!

Copper Lake is typically the second lake one will reach on the West Fork Foss Lakes Trail #1064, the first being Trout Lake.

Comparing the two though is like night and day.

GETTIN’ THERE

As previously mentioned, you can get there by way of the Foss Lakes trail. You could feasibly get there all kinds of ways, but the trail is by far the easiest.

HIKING

Copper Lake is one of the more popular destinations along the Foss trail, and being more or less the middle point, provides a decent base to explore the surrounding peaks, lakes and “whathaveyas”.

A lake in the sky

There is a collapsed adit at the south end of the lake, in fact the trail utilizes the tailings pile as it heads to Little Heart Lake.

According to DWHM#1 there may exist a claim “1 mile south of Malachite Lake on a ridge west of Copper Lake”.  It is described as a “Caved pit and caved adit”.

I’ve heard speculation that these may be the same claim.

FISHING

I’ve caught both Cutthroats and Brook Trout out of Copper Lake. The most convenient fishing access is at the north end of the lake, but the intrepid may be able to find access to less accessible shoreline.

If you are so inclined, you could hike up an inflatable raft and ply the azure waters until your heart is content.

“Point 5890”

CAMPING

Copper Lake is pretty big, and the trail ambles along it’s eastern shore for it’s entirety. This affords many campsites to choose from.

The north end of the lake hold the lion’s share of campsites, but others exist along the trail, and between Copper and Little Heart Lakes.

There is a backcountry toilet available for use here, so please, if nature calls, use it rather than a cathole.

Campfires are prohibited at Copper Lake and any point over 4000’ft in the Alpine Lakes wilderness (west).

Other regulations may apply.

Malachite Peak

Halloweiners

Uh, not going that way.

Despite the flood warning today a couple of us Bipeds decided to head for the hills.

Due to the inclement weather being particularly inclement, our mine search was called off in favor of a dry hike: The Snoqualmie Tunnel.

Being an abandoned train tunnel, it really fits the bill for a rainy day hike, and when better to visit an abandoned tunnel full of ghost trains and ectoplasmic hobos? Halloween!

That’s not bogeyman, is it?

 

The trailhead was flooded when we arrived, so we parked along the road near the freeway on-ramp and made our way down an embankment to reach the eastern portal.

The tunnel was pretty much as expected; cool and a little damp. Perfect for a day when the alternative is; cold, and sopping wet.

The sound of rushing water bounced off the walls as we approached the western light.

Rockdale Creek, which flows over the top of the portal was raging. We hiked up and around to take a closer look.

Yeah, it’s raining out

At the top, large chunks of wood barreled down the swollen waters. An eerie deep rumble accompanied by a slight tremor, signaled a boulder tumbling through the culvert below our feet.

Heading back to the shelter of the tunnel we saw a group of bicyclists preparing for the trip down to the exit 38. “Beware the bogey man”, they warned as we walked by.

“They were just kidding though, right?”

Rockdale Creek rip roarin’