Great weather, wildflowers for days, unbeatable views. Went up Rattlesnake, spent 2 nights at a well flowing Dunlap springs with a day hike to Oregon Butte (99.9% snow free). 

The toughest part about Rattlesnake Trail is the initial stream crossing near the parking area. Per the usual for me, I was too unnerved to attempt the downed log crossing and then botched my first attempt at the log-jam crossing a little upstream. After 45-minutes and a return trip to the car for the first aid kit & to swap out my wet shoes, I finally made it the first 500' & across the creek! There is a downed log to cross on for those who are braver than me; the log-jam is also okay if you're better than me about avoiding slippery spots. The water is still running too high to attempt a ford.

Once on the trail, Rattlesnake is very, very steep! It's a little brushy in spots, but there is no major downfall. There are a few larger trees down between Alnus Spring & Indian Corral, but they are fairly easy step-overs. The trail is almost entirely snow-free from the TH to Alnus Spring, then has occasional patchy snow (and wet/muddy trail) between Alnus and Indian Corral. The wildflowers are spectacular already, but will only get better over the next few weeks! We continued east on the Mount Misery Trail beyond Indian Corral, but the trail became entirely snow-covered by Bullfrog Spring, our turn-around point. 

Winter has had a very strange start in the Inland Northwest, but our small hardy group decided to make the most of the weird conditions by attempting a January backpack trip into the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. In a normal winter I don't think this trip would be possible, but due to recent warm weather & overall lack of snowfall we were able to pull this one off.

The road access to the upper Tucannon & Panjab area was closed off for most of 2020 due to a major road washout, the evidence of which is still highly visible along the way in. We encountered zero snow on our way to the trailhead.

We arrived mid-morning on Saturday and hiked in via Panjab Trail. The TH area had patchy ice but no snow, giving way to some snow in the early miles and by around the 3 mile mark we decided to put on snowshoes. The trail was easy to follow until around the 4 mile mark, at which point we ran into consolidated/icy snow that created very difficult conditions. It was basically impossible to kick steps into the frozen surface, so we abandoned the trail and picked the easiest route up for the final 500' of elevation gain. It was bad enough that we decided we would not attempt to exit via the same route, as a fall in the area of the ice would have been very serious.

Once at the top we had difficulty locating the spring at Dusty Camp so decided to continue to Indian Corral and Dunlap Spring. We camped at the edge of the open meadows at Indian Corral and were able to locate and access Dunlap Spring for drinking water. All of Saturday was sunny, calm and gorgeous.

On Sunday morning we awoke to fierce winds and icy/wet snow. The snow quit mid-morning but the sun never came out and the winds continued all day. We decided to attempt to hike to Oregon Butte, as it has been a longtime goal to try to get there in winter. Route finding was moderately difficult as the trail was generally not visible, but the snow averaged only a foot or two deep and was very consolidated. We didn't get to enjoy the panoramic views from Oregon Butte, as it was shrouded in clouds and fog, but it was still wonderful to be able to reach it in January. The last names on the Lookout register were dated from the end of October.

On Monday we packed up and exited via Rattlesnake Trail. This trail is spectacular. I don't know that hiking it in winter would be possible in a normal snow year, but this year isn't normal and we ended up not even needing snowshoes for the last couple miles of the descent. We were bracing ourselves for a cold creek crossing at the end (we'd thought about going in this way on Saturday, but didn't want to start the trek with cold feet). After we reached the crossing and explored upstream a bit, we discovered a log-jam where we were able to cross safely. Probably not recommended if the water was higher or faster, but right now the water level is fairly low. Then we just had to finish it up with a 2 mile road walk back to the starting TH at Panjab.

Hiked a nice loop going up the Rattlesnake Trail and down the Panjab Trail. The Kendall Skyline Road is clear of snow; however loose rock and some ruts on the Kendall Skyline could be a little challenging without a higher clearance or AWD vehicle. If you're at all worried about road conditions, just take the Tucannon road in and you'll be just fine. I parked at the info kiosk at the entrance to the Panjab Campground, where I found a very short trail going down to the river from the south side of the pullout right to the log mentioned in the previous post. A short bushwhack on the other side of the river back north got me to the trail proper - keep close to the river until you see the obvious main trail.

Spring conditions exist on both trails - I encountered snow at around 3 or 3.5 miles, and then the trail essentially turns into a stream for several miles after that until you get a ways down the Panjab Trail. With waterproof boots it wouldn't be too bad, but in my trail runners I went off trail several times to find a higher dry route with not much luck. The snow got a bit deep and I was post-holing as I headed downhill on the Panjab, and there was quite a bit of water on the trail at the main creek crossing. I ended up taking off my shoes and bare-footing it until I could stem the trail around 3 miles from the trailhead. Glad I brought some extra socks and had time to sit and dry out once I got past all the wetness. 

The flowers are blooming and I managed only two ticks which is a record low for my outings in the area. Some downed trees here and there but easy to get over or under. Saw some bear tracks and lots of elk sign, but only saw one lonely cow elk up high. The most interesting animals were the two nude sunbathers that I startled. Not sure why they chose to do so 20 feet from the trail when there's an entire wilderness to choose from, but then again we were the only ones on the trail. Hope they didn't get sunburned bits! 

The loop was a great way to go, with a short run back to the truck at the end. Would be really easy to stash a bike at either end and ride the 2-ish miles between trailheads if you didn't want to hoof it.

Dirt Grub an I rambled the first 2 miles (e.g. the steep part) of the Rattlesnake Trail. The crossing of Panjab creek was a bit tricky but doable with dry feet and log hopping. Glacier lilies, buttercups, blue bells, yellow bells, grass widows, and kitten tails were all blooming within  the first mile. Ticks were out and about.

<3 the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness!