I just did the lower trail about 3 weeks ago and was curious as to how the upper trail was. I like the upper trail better : )
We started at the trailhead (which had a porta potty) at 9 am, hoping to beat the heat while we were going up. The trail starts off with a good ascent and just keeps going.
The trail is maintained well and was well signed. The flowers were blooming and we saw some cool fungi too. Unfortunately, we didn't see any mountain goats today, but the people coming down as we were going up said they saw a mom and a baby. There was a group of 15-25 *cough*soldiers*cough* that were climbing in super steep areas off-trail, and setting off fireworks at the top. That ticked me off, and is not within the "spirit" of hiking. So I'm sure if there WERE any mountain goats up there, they probably ran away. BUMMER. My friend came from Amsterdam and I had practically promised her goats on this trail. We did see a few chipmunks, but they were not as annoying and needy as they were the last time I was here. There were horseflies and they did bite, which was very annoying.
The road itself to the trailhead is doable. I somehow did it with a Honda Fit last time and decided to bring the Wrangler this time. I'm glad I did, but I was still driving like a granny over the potholes and grooves in the road. Also, if you use the upper trailhead, you need a National Park/Northwest Forest pass. If you don't have one, you can use the lower trailhead, or park outside of the "fee area" (about .25 mi) and walk in to the trail.
Comments
poor goats
That is horrible about the fireworks. If you're still looking for goats, there's always a good chance to see them up at Sunrise MRNP near Burroughs or Skyscraper. Was at Ellinor a couple of weekends ago and must have seen 20 goats. I hope they return and are treated more hospitably by all.
Posted by:
amart005 on Jun 30, 2015 10:00 PM
Bad Soldiers
Where these soldiers in uniform? Darrell reported on similarly spectacular inappropriate behavior by soldiers from JBLM on 6/29 at Mt Si. I think that a commanding officer needs to make some corrections. This is horrible publicity for the military.
Posted by:
Maddy on Jul 01, 2015 06:46 AM
Erin & Adam on Mount Ellinor
They were not in uniform or PTs thankfully, but they all had their boots and camo backpacks with their names on it. And some had a unit t-shirt on (I didn't catch the unit though). I was just soooo worried about they hiking down the avalanche chutes. That's how people get hurt. As a milspo myself, I was embarrassed to see these guys acting like that and worried that other people will think that's how all soldiers act.
Posted by:
Erin & Adam on Jul 01, 2015 07:42 AM