Mount Catherine, Cold Creek Loop via Tinkham and Silver Peaks — Wednesday, Jul. 26, 2000

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

Hike Trip Description I had planned on summitting Silver Peak by doing the Cold Creek trail (#1303), PCT (#2000), Silver Peak, PCT (#2000), Mt. Catherine trail (#1348) and Cold Creek trail (#1303). However, my plan did not succeed because I missed the turn-off to Silver Peak. According to the "100 Hikes in Washington's South Cascades and Olympics" book, the Silver Peak turn-off should have had a sign marking the Gardiner Ridge trail on the PCT, but there was no sign. I parked at the Cold Creek trailhead. I began the hike at about 1:18 PM. I hiked the Cold Creek trail, which was slightly overgrown to Twin Lakes, which took me about 20 minutes. I walked over Cold Creek on a very large log and began my ascent up what seemed to be not that steep a trail. After 3/8 mile, the trail became very steep with many overgrown areas. In one pretty bad overgrown area, I could not see the trail very well at all, my right foot stepped on the very right edge of the rock trail. My right foot then slipped off the trail into a bunch of plants while my left shin hit the rock trail. My left shin sustained a very minor gash and a bruise. I finally got to the intersection with the PCT at 1 hour 40 minutes into the hike. On the very steep part of the trail, one gains 1300 feet in 1.2 miles, which is about a 1083 feet per mile elevation gain. I took a 15 minute break at the intersection and put on bug repellant because I was getting bit my mosquitoes and some other type of insect, which I do not know the name. I stopped my break to begin the hike on the PCT to find the Silver Peak turn-off. I went west on the PCT. On parts of the PCT, I noticed a few snow covered areas and a few water covered areas. I hiked for a while, attempting to find the Gardiner Ridge trail sign, which I never found. I passed by a large pile of rocks on the right side of the PCT and looked to the left and noticed a trail. I did not think anything of it at that time. I passed by a rock slide area and some switch backs. I got to a place on the trail where when I looked up, I could see Silver Peak and noticed at least three people up there. I then realized that I probably missed the Silver Peak turn-off. Since the time was later than I would have liked, I decided to continue to hike on the PCT. After 3 hours into the hike, I came across a creek that went across the trail with a pretty good rock area on the west side of the trail where I could sit, eat lunch and enjoy the creek noise. I ate lunch for about 25 minutes and then resumed my hike. I began my last part of the hike. I continued north on the PCT until I got to the intersection with Forest Road 9070, where I turned right, southeast. After at most .3 miles, I came across another smaller pile of rocks on the right side of the road. I went to the pile and looked into the forest and noticed another sign for the trail, #1348, that I needed to hike to get back to my car. I figured out that the large pile of rocks that I had seen before on the PCT was most probably the Silver Peak turn-off. At this point, I had been hiking for 4 hours and 5 minutes. I hiked another half hour on a very poorly maintained trail. The trail was extremely overgrown with plants, water and a few blown down trees on the trail. I almost got lost a couple of times because of the overgrown plants. I was lucky that there were blown down trees because I stepped up on them to see where the trail went and then followed the trail. I finally got to the #1348 trail and #1303 trail intersection. Instead of going back to the Cold Creek trailhead, I decided to see if I could actually hike to the shore of Twin Lakes from the #1303 trail. I turned right on the #1303 trail and hiked to right before the very large log, the log that allows you to walk over Cold Creek. I turned right and hiked a very short overgrown trail to the Twin Lakes shore, where I stayed for about 15 minutes. While on the shore, I looked up to the west and saw Silver Peak. I also noticed some insects flying above the lake and some splashes on the lake, which I believe that some fish caused. I finally left the lake and headed back to the trailhead. I got to the trailhead 5 hours and 6 minutes after I began at about 6:24 PM. I noticed that a few bees were flying around my car, like at the beginning of my hike. I am glad that I went on the hike, although I felt a bit frustrated because I did not find the turn-off to Silver Peak. Not finding the turn-off turned out to be a good thing because otherwise I would not have returned to my car until some time after nightfall. There are a few more inaccuracies in the "100 Hikes in Washington's South Cascades and Olympics" book about this hike. The hike distance, hiking time, high point and elevation gain figures are incorrect. Hike Length Distance 7.4 miles round-trip. Time: 5 hours 6 minutes. Elevation Max 4500 feet. Min 3000 feet. Range :1500 feet. Restrooms Trailhead:0. Close By 1, at least. (Public restroom - less than 0.2 miles south of Snoqualmie Summit Inn. Get to it by taking exit 52 or exit 53 off of Interstate 90) Book -) 100 Hikes in Washington's South Cascades and Olympics - 3rd Edition, 1998. Ira Spring and Harvey Manning. p. 36-37. Map Green Trails - Snoqualmie Pass, WA (# 207) Pests Biting flying insects. Cost Since I already had an Annual Northwest Trails Pass, which I got at Mt. St. Helens in June, I did not have to buy a new one.