I joined up with the Sierra Club Loowit Chapter on Sunday morning to hike the Cape Horn Trail. We hiked counter clockwise from the Skamania County Park and Ride. Weather was cool, breezy and misting. Great views from the top and no snow no the trail. Total hike time with a short break for lunch: 4.5 hours Descending through the talus was a bit slippery in places as the rain picked up - hiking poles a plus. The waterfall was on full; strong wind gusts whipped the falling water into misty spray. Bring a sturdy umbrella or tarp to cover yourself since the best, safest route across the creek at the moment takes you under the falls. Imagine standing in your shower with it on full blast, cold.

The weather forecast for Sunday was for up to 4"" of rain to be dropped on the Cascades. This derailed our plans to climb Bonanza but our locomotive of interest shifted to the Backcourt peaks. These peaks offer a trail for much of the upclimbing. If we were going to hike in drenching rain we thought a trail would be a welcomed nicety. It did rain on the drive in on US 2 but once we went over Stevens Pass the rain stopped. When the sun popped out between some clouds Randy B. and I both announced both leaving sunscreen, sunglasses, and sunhats at home in preparation for the deluge. We drove out of Leavenworth on the Icicle Creek Rd. stopping at the trailhead for the Scatter Creek trail. The monotony of the upclimb was broken by passing a lovely patch of scarlet gilia. This brilliant flower is not common and the numerous tubular flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds. The trail though is a no-sense path that quickly gains elevation to a shoulder of Grindstone Mtn. Then comes the annoyance of loosing 400+ feet of the hard-earned elevation as the trail continues toward Lake Edna. We dropped our packs where the trail skirts the edge of Cape Horn and made the easy 10 minute ascent. The cloud ceiling blocked our views of our next objective, Ladies Peak, but we were encouraged to see them lifting. We descended to Ladies Pass where by odd coincidence we met three ladies who had camped at Lake Edna and were exploring the adjacent terrain. The ground at Ladies Pass has a beautiful display of alpine flowers adapted to the lithosol substrate which predominates this area. Douglas' Buckwheat, Sulphur Flowers, and Moss Campion are a few of the beauties we encountered. The SE ridge brings you quickly to just beneath the summit where a clockwise corkscrew route takes you to the top. Clouds prevented any sweeping views so after a brief rest we retraced our route picking up our packs stashed at Ladies Pass. When back at the point where the Chatter Creek trail crosses the shoulder of Grindstone I made the decision to add Grindstone as a bonus peak for the day. My partner, Randy B. was accomodating and lent me his ice axe. I traded my trail shoes for boots stowed in the pack and was off for a break in the ridge at the top of a heather slope. I crossed the ridge and dropped through a cannonball hole descending ~150 ft before commencing my traverse toward the summit. I had the same confusion as Putz-in-Boots had during her ascent. Which rocky top was the true summit? I chose the one with a couple goats nearby that also had the most snow on it. Finding the summit register was a welcomed relief as up to that point I was unsure of the highpoint. This register was placed in 1983 by Chris Weber and Mike Torok. Chris died several years ago and reading his entries quickens emotional ties people have with him. I mention this as there are those who disagree with the practice of summit registers and a few people have the temerity of removing them. The registers offer much more than the vainglory of writing a name on a page. They are a conduit for connection with those who have preceeded the present climber. Registers allow us to remember and reflect on the good times with the friends who have been here before. Elevation gain; 8,000 ft. Distance travelled; 16 miles. Car-to-car; 10 hrs.