Grassy Top, Hall Mountain — Saturday, Jul. 22, 2006

Eastern Washington > Selkirk Range

The day after we hiked to the top of Hall Mountain my friend Kay and I decided we should do the 8-mile round trip Grassy Top Mountain trail. We left camp at Sullivan Lake around 9am and drove the 13 graveled miles east to Pass Creek Pass. We parked at the wide spot at the pass (the only place to park near the TH) then hiked back the eighth of a mile to the trailhead (elev. 5380'). The trail drops sharply for a short distance where a trail registry is located. We quickly perused the few names that were on the cards (I saw no one I knew), filled out our card, and then moved out. According to the registry cards only 7 or 8 groups had done this hike since early June. I'm sure not everyone fills out a card but it indicated to Kay and I that few people do this hike. The excellent trail courses through heavy timber for the first mile or so, switchbacking a few times as it climbs in elevation. The timber thins now and then until it reaches a junction with the trail leading to Hall Mountain. At this point you pretty much emerge from the timber into a very pleasant open trail affording great views of the surrounding peaks. The predominant vegetation along the trail now is green meadow grass dotted with subalpine fir instead of heavy timber. Various wildflowers made their appearance too on the very steep slopes adding to the wonderful scenery. We kept trekking until we reached the top of Grassy Top Mountain (elev. 6253') about 4 miles from the TH. As soon as we made it to the flat top we moved to the edges to look all around. To the northeast our eyes quickly noticed some smoke rising from the timber below us. At first we thought it was just slash from a possible logging operation being burned, but it didn't look like any logging had been going on down there recently. Through the binoculars I could not see any flames, just rising white smoke from what looked like a meadow. I knew there are 5 manned lookout towers in this area so I figured one of them had seen the smoke already. Directly to the east we could see the entire Selkirk Crest, featuring Mount Roothaun and the nearby predominant Chimney Rock. Close inspection revealed snow still on the north aspect of Roothaun, despite the warm/hot temps we have been experiencing. We lingered, ate and relaxed for an hour or so on Grassy Top before leaving for the return trek. While wandering around on top we spotted a female Spruce Grouse with a fresh hatching of little ones. They were cute to watch. She was protective but allowed us to watch them for a little while. The trip back down continued to be very enjoyable. This is a superb 8-mile round trip hike, definitely one to repeat. The scenery on our way down was fantastic, the smells were wonderful, and the company was great. We reached my Blazer safely and could smell a strong odor of smoke in the air, no doubt from the fire we had seen from the top. When we got back to Sullivan Lake we stopped by the Ranger Station to see if anyone had reported the fire. The ranger telephoned another ranger in the proper jurisdiction and he said no lookout had spotted or mentioned seeing smoke in his area. The Sullivan Lake ranger gave me a map and then put me on the phone to give a description of where Kay and I had seen the rising smoke. He thanked us for the sighting and said he would dispatch a helicopter to check it out. We never heard after that what ever became of it. Perhaps it just burned itself out later. Ron Ellis Spokane, WA