Rattlesnake Mountain 11/8/13
It would be fun to do a key swap and make it from one end of
this mountain to the other. Unfortunately today was going to be another solo
day for me. Boy, do I dislike hiking alone. I thought I would enjoy it… the
solitude, becoming one with nature…Nope, I get lonely and honestly, I get kind
of scared. Oh well, no one can/wants to go on this rainy day so I venture out
alone. Turned out to be a great day none the less as always!
I get to the TH by 9:30, only one other car in the parking
lot (where you do need a Discover Pass) and one more car showed up soon after I
did. The older gentleman that showed up after me mentioned that he hikes
Rattlesnake three times a week! You go man!
The trail starts off nicely, almost immediately it crosses a
gravel road. In fact, it crosses the gravel road multiple times along this
trail but it is easy to follow as the trail continues directly ahead and there
are many wooden fences at these intersections. They are quite narrow too, I
assume to discourage bikers and horse riders as this is a hiking only trail
according to the signage.
As soon as I got to the power lines it starts sprinkling
harder so I donned my gaiters and rain cover. I could hear the rain drops
hitting the power lines, it made it sound like the rain was coming down much
harder! Shortly after here my GPS went berserk! Ok, it happened to slowly fade
out as I glanced at it. Thinking it was just the batteries I switched them out.
That wasn’t it, all my maps and data had erased and I was currently standing
somewhere in the mid-west. Due to that I was unable to keep track of my mileage,
time and elevation from there on out. 
My plan was to get to Grand Prospect and turn around. I sure
didn’t like heading into the wooded areas. With the weather gloomy and fog
rolling in, it sure made it dark in there! Knowing only one other person or
group was ahead of me I wasn’t sure if and when I’d see anyone else…what if a
cougar got me!? I know it’s unlikely, but it happens and the thought stayed
with me until I would emerge from the trees. One of the reasons I don’t like to
hike alone, I let my imagination get the best of me!
I opted to skip Stan’s Outlook at 2.5 miles and went
straight on to Grand Prospect at 4.9 miles. These are the distances I’ve read
and assume to be accurate since I have no more GPS. L Coming up near my destination
a group of 4 ladies were headed back down, they must belong to the lone car in
the parking lot before I showed up. I chatted with them a moment then head up
the last stretch to my goal. There were no amazing views of Mt Si or Snoqualmie
Valley here, except for on the sign which will point out what you’re looking at
(on a clear day). There were a couple tiny breaks where you could see
civilization down below, but it was quickly swallowed with the passing clouds.
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| My view at Grand Prospect |
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| Can't you see Mt Si out there!? |
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| Should-be view at Grand Prospect |
After eating some snacks I started my journey back down the
way I came. Not even half a mile down a group of 3 gentleman were headed up. They
were super kind enough to invite me along the rest of their hike, they were
going all the way to Rattlesnake Lake where they had left a car. I weighed my
options…I really want to hike the whole mountain, they don’t look like they
belong on the Post Office wall of wanted men, I’m not supposed to get in cars
with strangers, I don’t want to hike alone…my sense of adventure won.
Norm, Wes and Jim were amazing company, I completely enjoyed
my hike with them. They had some great stories from hiking around the world and
there was never a dull moment for the rest of the trip. We stopped again at
Grand Prospect before heading up to East Peak, where the amazing views were the
same, then continued on our way. It was all downhill from there, but definitely
not steep so it was easy on the knees. I was actually surprised how well
maintained this trail is, it must get a lot of use.
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| View from Upper Ledge |
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| Looking down at the lower ledge |
We stopped for lunch at the upper ledge on the east end of
the mountain. Still pretty foggy but the clouds spread out and we enjoyed some
nice views. It was neat how the clouds were hanging around the ridges across
the valley. On the lower ledge below us, where I had hiked to back in July, we
could see hikers coming and going before they were hidden behind the clouds and
fog. They seemed so far away!
I'm hiking with oldies, they brought prunes! lol KIDDING!
As we got ready to continue our trek the rain
picked back up. We had been pretty lucky, the trees mostly protected us from
the sprinkles. We stopped in at the other set of ledges for some more views and
pictures. It started to clear up once we got to the main ledge…blue skies and a
rainbow even!
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| View from lower ledge |
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| Mt Si |
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| Me and the rainbow! |
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| Jasmine watching mom blog |
It seemed to take no time at all to get down the mountain
and before I knew it we were down at the lake ready to hop in the Miata and head
out. After a quick stop at Mickey D’s they showed me the way to get back to the
west end trailhead as you cannot exit from the freeway on the way back, you
have to take the back road…good to know for next time.
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| Looking back @ Rattlesnake Mt |
Great day, great company. It felt like I had three dads
hiking with me so I wasn’t scared of the spooky dark woods anymore. Lol Farewell
till next time, hopefully I see you guys again on the trail some more!
Total distance 11 miles. I have no clue how long it exactly took.
For the record: online it says you need a Discover Pass at both trailheads. We did not see any signage at the Rattlesnake Lake TH and only a couple cars parked there actually had a pass visible.
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| Rattlesnake Lake looking a little dry |
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