Thorp Mountain Lookout via Thorp Creek, Thorp Lake, No Name Ridge - Thorp Mountain, Kachess Ridge / Kachess Beacon & Thorp Mountain via Knox Creek — Friday, Jun. 23, 2006

Snoqualmie Region > Salmon La Sac/Teanaway

This was potentially a really great idea, but the huge snow pack derailed my plan, which was to make a through hike up Thorp Creek, along Kachess Ridge and down the French Cabin Creek trail (1305). So, we left a bike at the trail head of French Cabin Creek, then drove to the trailhead of Thorp Creek. The trail up to the turn off to the Thorp Mtn lookout was really nice, with a couple of wet crossings, but nothing major. A few snow fields, but again, nothing too tricky. The trail to the lake was non-existent, but it was easy enough to find the lake just by heading due south through the trees. The trail to the lookout was impossible to follow because of snowfields and in fact I don't think I was ever on it on the way up--it was just sort of a scramble. At the top the trail re-emerged, but en route down it quickly disappeared under snow. After the junction with 1315 things wen fine for a while, but after passing the Knox Creek Trail heading steeply down to the east, things got tricky. We managed the first snow field, but after another 300 meters or so we hit a point on the east edge of the ridge where the snow was so deep and treacherous that we elected to turn around. Sigh. It would be a great hike later on in July or August. Thus, we had to go to Knox Creek trail (totally snow free) and then I hoofed it back to the bike on road 120, then 4308--some 3 miles--then rode back to the car--another 5 miles on gravel, got the car and came back for the grumpy husband and dog. I think I did him in on this one as he's elected to forgo my next weekend outing... But it really would be a great hike to do and I think I might even feel the need to go back and try it again when the snow's melted... Just can't get enough!