Intense work going on to clear blow downs at Black Pine Horse campground so trailhead parking is packed. Work is only supposed to continue until June 4th. I pulled off the side of the road the parking is on and it left enough room for vehicles to pass. It may be an issue for vehicles with lower clearance in some places along the road. At this time the trailhead is only marked by a reflector. I ended up following the Jack Pine trail near construction and connected to Blackjack. There were signs. Previous trip report is still applicable minus the flowers.

Blissman and I were looking for something to do since we were camping on the Icicle after a Mountaineers scramble field trip and I wasn't feeling up to par. After a slow morning of Ibuprofen and caffeine, I thought of Blackjack Ridge. This is a short, but steep trail and should have been very doable if not for both of us feeling under the weather coupled with very nasty ice on the trail. There are a couple of downed trees in the first mile, but they are easy to get around. This trail is almost always in good shape through open forest with lots of soft forest duff, although with a very steep grade. Up and up it goes, and we were making very respectable time until we hit snow and ice at about 5000' or so. At that point there are places where the entire trail is a sheet of ice which could be avoided only by tightrobe walking the 1/4 inch or so of snow on one side of the trail or the other. Other places we found we could dive through bushes for safe passage. Undaunted, we kept on slipping and sliding until we finally got frustrated and hungry enough to stop for lunch at 2:30. We then decided to call it a day. It was getting late and an Icicle Ale was calling for me from Gustav's! This is one of the times that microspikes would have completely changed the way our trip went, but mine were uselessly residing in my gear room at home! This trip has little to recommend it until you reach the views a 6000', which we didn't. The forest isn't remarkable at all. Still, having done this trip a couple of times in the past, I can say that it's well worth it, and if you've got enough time, the scramble of High Chair is easy and spectacular, but for the time being bring your microspikes!

Are you looking for a good ole thigh burning, steady grind up to a short and easy scramble with amazing views with peace and solitude and one where you can bring your dog? If so, this is the trail for you! Start out by heading down the Icicle Road out of Leavenworth, nearly to the end of the road. Right before Horse Camp is the Jack Pine Trail. Jump on that for a very short distance, taking a left where the Horse Camp Trail intersects. Next spur take the right to the Blackjack Ridge trail. Follow this steep trail (1000' per mile) for about 3 miles. There are a few blow downs, but all are easy to step over. After about 3000' you will break out of the forest and see Bootjack Mountain in the distance - a rocky pyramid shaped peak. Follow the ridge, and then round the corner. The trail where you round the corner is not so pronounced, so if you start descending, you are on the wrong path and heading down the Snowall Cradle Lake Trail that ultimately will meet up with the French Creek Trail in another 12 mi. After rounding the corner at the ridge, continue gaining elevation, picking your way towards the summit. There is a trail to follow, albeit difficult to see at times, so if you get off track do not worry, just keep heading towards the summit and stay on the outer edge of the treed area. Once at the base of the summit it is an easy scramble to the top, 6789'. If you are feeling extra ambitious, you can head to Highchair Mt at just over 7000', tacking on another couple of hours. The views from the summit of Bootjack are amazing. On a clear day, which I had, you can see all the way to Mt Baker, Glacier Peak will be prominent as will Icicle Ridge, Mt Rainier and Mt Stuart-Enchantments. More than likely you will have the summit all to yourself as I only saw 2 people the entire day. Once back down from your hike, there is an amazing IPA back in Leavenworth at the Icicle Brewery, properly named Bootjack IPA.

After being escorted by a pilot vehicle on Route 2 through smokey Tumwater Canyon, it was a pleasant surprise to find Icicle Creek completely free of smoke. During the hike we could see smoke billowing up from the far side of Icicle Ridge. There is no sign for Blackjack Ridge trail # 1565 on Icicle Road. We hiked a short distance on trail # 1597 until we came to the signed junction with # 1565. The trail climbs relentlessly up well graded switchbacks until breaking out into a silver forest and meadows at around 5800 feet. We hung out at the 6100 foot view point enjoying the views and flowers. The trail is in excellent condition.