Outings

 Join us for a two night car-campout on the Mad River, Pine Flats campground on the summer solstice and full moon! We have reserved the group campsite and can accommodate 16 persons and/or 10 vehicles.

Many wildflowers and butterflies will be out as well as many east side birds. Last year we heard a Northern Saw-whet owl calling at night near our tent. Saturday morning, we will hike up the Mad River Trail along the crashing torrent of the Mad River. It could be hot, so bring a hat, canteens, and dress for weather.

Hike through ancient forest on the West Cady Ridge Trail, near Index. Help keep the Sierra Club's adopted trail in good shape and enjoy abundant birds and flowers among 650-year-old trees. We'll leave time to explore the ridge top and enjoy big views of our state's newest Wilderness area. 4-6 miles roundtrip. No experience required, all tools supplied. Contact Mark Lawler at 206 632-1550. (WA)

July 10: Taylor River Hike

Join us on Wednesday, July 10th for a hike along the Taylor River. Taylor River offers quiet solitude on a backcountry trail leading through ancient cathedral forests and past magnificent waterfalls less than a hour from Seattle. The trail winds along the Taylor River, and hikers will be surrounded by areas we have proposed for Wilderness. After a few miles in, hikers will pass Big Creek and enter into the area we have proposed for Wilderness. The hike will showcase this proposed area for protection and may go all the way to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Boundary. Participants who enjoy camping may make their own arrangements at the Middle Fork Campground which is near the Taylor River trailhead. One can make reservations HERE. Northwest Forest Pass will be required. Carpooling can be arranged.

On the Carbon River Rd just outside Mount Rainier National Park, this is a short hike so close to the big mountain that you'll feel like you're right on the flank of Mount Rainier. Summit Lake is a picturesque little alpine lake with glorious views of Rainier. This moderate hike is 5 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 1200�.

Dress for the weather (Don�t skimp; put that jacket in your pack.). Wear boots or sturdy shoes, not sandals; bring lunch, sun protection and water.

Our carpool will leave Puyallup at 9:00 AM and should be back by 4:00 PM. Northwest Forest Pass is required for each car. Contact dorothyw@centurylink.net for more info and to sign up.

This is the fourth in a series of Sierra Club sponsored outings highlighting the need for additional protections of the Olympic Peninsula’s free flowing rivers and ancient old growth forests. Join us on Thursday, July 18, for a hike that’s loaded with views long and sweet from one of the Olympics’ most popular peaks, Mt. Townsend. Ledges galore offer views into the heart of the Buckhorn Wilderness as we ascend a lesser-used trail allowing plenty of solitude along the aptly named Dirty Face Ridge.

This is a moderately strenuous hike: round trip is 7.5 miles with a 3,000 foot elevation gain. Bring water, lunch and your rain-gear; hiking boots are advised.

Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Meet in International Falls, MN on 7-19-13 Canoeing from Pickerel Lake, Attikokan, Ontario base camp 7-20 thru 7-27. We will meet on 7-19 in International Falls and then drive to the base camp. Costs are $600 includes food, park fees, canoe, use of camping gear except for sleeping bag/tent and one night stay at lodge/base camp with dinner and hot breakfast. You are responsible for your own transportation to International Falls, MN, but we will be driving from the Seattle area and we encourage car pooling. Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada offers truly the most unique and premier canoeing experience anywhere in the world. Paddle and portage along some of the same routes as French fur-trappers of the 1700-1800’s into the most pristine wilderness that Canada has to offer. Excellent fishing for bass, walleye and northern-pike. Spectacular scenery, plus view the ancient pictographs and petroglyphs left by the Ojibway Indians. This trip is for beginner to expert canoe enthusiasts. It is open to all but with some exclusions on physical fitness and physical ability. We will be paddling about 10 to 15 miles a day, portaging 42 lbs. canoes and about 60 lbs. packs, with 2 layover rest days for fishing, swimming and exploring the lakes we are camped on. We will traverse about 20+ different lakes during the week with a like number of portages that vary from 100 yards to ½ mile. Paddlers will be expected to carry a canoe or pack on portages and share the workload around camp. This promises to be a trip that you will talk about for many years to come. Your trip leaders are Mike and Scott McQuilkin of Puyallup, WA, both Sierra Club members who have made this trip before. This is an independent trip and you do assume all liability for your personal safety. Come and be one of the “voyageurs” on the trip of a lifetime at a very sensible cost. For more information or after you RSVP please call: Scott McQuilkin [masked] or Mike McQuilkin [masked] There is a $100 deposit required to hold your spot. We will have a waiting list if the trip fills up and someone cancels. We will be doing a group meeting with participants in February to get to know one another and let people that are interested come and meet us to see if this is a trip for them. This trip fills up quick so RSVP soon.

July 21: Lake Dorothy Hike

Join us on Sunday, July 21st for a hike into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to the magnificent Lake Dorothy. Hikers will drive down the East Fork of the Miller River, taking in excellent views of areas we plan to propose for permanent protection. The trail-head starts at the Wilderness Boundary, offering hikers a chance to spend most of their time trekking in the Wilderness.

Hike Details: One of the easy/moderate-difficulty lake-destination hikes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The trip leader will first go to Lake Dorothy and will lead the group along the lake for a few miles, making the full hike roughly 7-8 miles round-trip with about 1000ft elevation gain. Please bring well broken in hiking shoes and bring plenty of water. Bring a bag lunch and check the weather to bring appropriate dress.

July 31: Old Sauk River Trail Hike

Join us on Wednesday, July 31st for a hike along the Sauk River. A major tributary to the Skagit, the federally protected Wild and Scenic Sauk River supports a wide array of wildlife and provides critical habitat for Puget Sound salmon. And like the Skagit, this mighty river is also winter habitat for hundreds of bald eagles. The Old Sauk River Trail hugs the riverbank of this ecologically important and strikingly beautiful waterway for 3 virtually flat miles. While the trail does not enter into areas we have proposed for protection, it does give the hiker a feel for the area we are trying to protect a few miles south of the trail.

August, 3rd Bare Mountain Hike

Join us on Saturday, August 3rd for a hike along Lennox Creek and up Bare Mountain. Offering stunning views of the valley between Goat and Bare Mountain, hikers will spend half of their trek through areas we are currently working to protect and follow Bear Creek as they head up into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. On the way to the trailhead, hikers will drive along Lennox Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Snoqualmie River, taking in excellent views of areas we plan to propose for permanent protection.

Any time you can hike to the site of an old fire-watch station, you know you'll have grand views--after all, those fire spotters needed a 360-degree panorama to be effective. Bare Mountain stands as one of those old fire-tower sites and, nestled in the westernmost part of the Cascades, this trail offers a unique opportunity to enjoy a wild-country hike with views of the Puget Sound lowlands.