Scorpion Mountain via Johnson Ridge — Thursday, Sep. 18, 1997

Central Cascades > Stevens Pass - West

I skipped out of working in the lab on this sunny Friday to break in my new pair of Asolo Yukons. Fred (the left one) and Cindy (the right one) performed very well on this trail. They were kind and removed very little of the skin from my heels. The trailhead is at the end of a very long winding road on an exposed mountain side. There was only one car at the trailhead when I got there around 9:30 and it was already sporting a yellow envelope/ticket for not having a Trail Park permit. The trail starts off on the remnants of an old road before gaining true trail-tread on wooded Johnson Ridge. This is one of the few trails in the area signed for multiple use including horse and mountain bike traffic. The ridge top location eliminates most drainage problems so it's a great choice for a bike trail. I climbed up and over the small wooded summit of Sunrise Mountain before encountering the owner of the ticketed vehicle on his way out. I thought I would have the summit of Scorpion Mountain to myself, but when I got there I found it occupied by a very charming Wilderness Ranger from the Skykomish R.D.. She was waiting to check hunter's licenses. We talked and shared the views for a while before she headed down the trail to do some lopping. I passed the wilderness boundry down 300 feet to the small, fragile, but well-preserved Joan lake. The lake was full of trout desparately biting at anything on the surface. If only I were a fisherman! I ran into some very lost mountain bikers on my way out. They were having some trouble finding the ridge top trail, but very close to it.