Basses and Mountains: Hiking Sun Mountain

On National Trails Day, the Mountaineers have an arrangement with Sun Mountain Lodge to allow members to get reduced rates and take part in hikes throughout the area. So daughter A and I saddled up the Passat and headed for the Methow Friday afternoon. We stopped for dinner in Marblemount, believe it or not, where we had a good feed at the Buffalo Run Restaurant. The decor was Wild West with numerous skins and critter heads on the walls, and a full sized stuffed buffalo in the waiting area. You just don't see this kind of thing in Kirkland. Menu options included buffalo, kangaroo, and ostrich burgers, not to mention the traditional cow burger. We opted for garden burgers with fries. While enjoying our dinner we watched throngs of hummingbirds enjoying their own at a feeder outside the window.

Downtown Winthrop

We arrived in Winthrop in the early evening and, as usual, finding a milkshake was the top priority. We didn't have to look too hard since we opened the car doors, took about 10 steps, and there it was. Winthrop is my kind of town. Afterwards, we found the lodge and settled in for the night.

The next morning was beautiful: partly cloudy and not too warm.

Good Morning, Methow

We met our hiking group in the lobby and started down the hill to Patterson Lake.

Patterson Lake with Patterson Mountain in the background

After a few last-minute preparations at the lodge-owned cabins on the lake (i.e. restrooms) we started our trek to the summit of Patterson Mountain. Along the way we came across this disturbing signage:

Attack Mules? Who knew?

I was already on the lookout for snakes, but roving packs of predatory mules were NOT on my radar screen. And I don't care for that "unlikely" business at all. Boy Howdy, did we all stay alert after that! And who are these people thanking us for our mulish vigilance? After a bit of research, it turns out that MVSTA stands for Methow Valley Sport Trail Association. Seemingly nothing to do with aggressive mules. Curious.

Anyway, we continued up the mountain. OR SO WE THOUGHT! After a mile or so of hiking, we reached a dead end at a No Trespassing sign indicating to many of us that perhaps we a had made a wrong turn. As it turns out, there are many paths created by the those diabolical mules (have I mentioned them?) who apparently think they own the place. In any case, our fearless leader. along with the other navigators in the group, was victimized by a cruel mule prank. Those bad boys created a plethora of forks in the trail without any signs indicating the correct route. We ended up adding a couple of miles to our hike but it was all good. For instance, we would not have seen this otherwise:

A young Bald Eagle (look on the snag)

So onward. Here are some of the things we say along the way.

Aspen

Aspen up in your face

Prairie Star (?)

Bitterroot or Lewisia Redviva (one of my favorites)

Skyrocket

Desert Yellow Fleabane Daisy

Balsamroot

Eventually, we made it to the summit of Patterson Mountain where we beheld:

Sun Valley Lodge in the distance (middle right) with the North Cascades looming in the background

Metropolitan Winthrop from the summit

We headed back down the mountain and stopped for lunch at Patterson Lake. Since most of our hiking group seemed to be wearing purple, they all lined up for a photo.

The purple women including daughter A

After resting up a bit on the lawn near the cabins, we moved on for the second half of the hike. We went back towards the lodge and wandered through the maze of trails nearby.

Lake created by a beaver dam. Notice the beautiful Ponderosa Pine trunk in the foreground.

Aspen Cathedral

Lupins!

Eventually, we made it back to the lodge after hiking about 10 miles with lots of up and down and with a maximum elevation gain of about 1100 feet. Yes, we were a wee bit tired. After naps and showers, daughter A and I went to the fancy-pants Wolf Creek Bar and Grill for dinner and drinks. Apparently, I was unaware of my level of dehydration, since I managed to suck down 3 large glasses of strawberry lemonade without a second thought. Plus a strawberry daiquiri. And a pizza for good measure.

The next morning we headed home. By the way, did you know the North Cascades are totally spectacular?