Teanaway Trek

One of the nice things about not having to go to work every day is having the opportunity to go hiking on non-weekend days. The trails are less crowded and you can choose a day with the best weather. That's exactly what my fellow retired engineer friend, Jim, and I did yesterday.

The weather was cool and clear as we drove through Cle Elum and onto U.S. 97 which crosses the Teanaway Valley a few miles out of town. We didn't stop along the road to take pictures, but imagine an intensely green valley filled with lush farmland and backed by fir covered hills with snow-capped mountains in the distance. It is a rural paradise marred only by Donald Trump signs (I counted six in and around Cle Elum).

After about 20 miles, we turned left onto Forest Service Road 9714 and drove a little less than three miles while dodging deep potholes and bushes crowding the roadside. We found a parking space in a small clearing already occupied by about four cars including, surprisingly, a Toyota Prius. I wouldn't want to drive a Prius on that road and I hope they got out with the bottom of their car intact.
We put on our hiking boots, forded a shallow creek and, noticing a sign saying "Trail" with a big arrow, we quickly deduced the direction in which to walk.

Our plan was to walk on the Iron Bear trail for a couple of miles to the junction with the Teanaway Ridge trail. We would then turn right at the junction and stop at the high point to admire the view and eat lunch before heading back to the car. This is a round-trip distance of 6.5 miles with a modest elevation gain of 1900 feet and a high point 5489 feet above sea level.

Most of the hike is through forest typical of the eastern slopes of the Cascades, i.e. Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, Vine Maple, and significant underbrush with a notable absence of ferns. The forest is more open than is common on the west side of the mountains, and lots of sunshine penetrates to the forest floor, resulting in spectacular displays of wildflowers.

Balsamroot with Paintbrush in the background

Lupins

False Solomon's Seal

As we gained altitude and approached the tree line, other species appeared in more open, rocky areas.

Bitterroot, Lewisia rediviva

The Bitterroot was useful to the native people who considered its roots to be a culinary delicacy. When the Lewis and Clark expedition came through what is now Montana and Idaho, Meriwether Lewis ate some and collected a sample for the expedition's botanical collection. The plant was later given a botanical name honoring him.

The trail was not steep but it consistently gained altitude. We arrived at the high point expecting great views and we were not disappointed. Mount Rainier presided on the southwestern horizon while, to the north, the spectacular Stuart Range was up close and personal. In the far distance, we could see Mount Adams and, to its left, I could make out the western portion of the Kittitas Valley through the haze.

Rainier in the distance

The Stuart Range (with Balsamroot)

The Stuart Range - another view

Rainier framed between a Ponderosa Pine and a Douglas Fir, the dominant tree species in this area

Mount Adams, miles away to the south

While we ate our lunch, and after, we talked to other hikers at the high point, the vast majority of whom appeared to be retired people (it was a Tuesday, after all), and they were predominantly women. This is the same pattern I have noticed on Mountaineers hikes. There are lots of single women and many of the others tell me their husband would rather sit at home and watch sports than walk in these beautiful mountains. I don't get it.

Many of these women are very knowledgable about the wilderness flora and I often learn a lot from them. For example, they identified the two flowers below for me.

Glacier Lily

Steer's Head

Apparently, the Steer's Head is hard to find and the best article I could find on it is on the Yosemite National Park website. It was pointed out to me by one of the botanical women I met. Her excitement may have been tempered however, when her companion exclaimed plaintively "I hiked all the way up here for this?" Maybe she hadn't noticed the view.

One more cool thing we saw was a sun dog rainbow, also called an Ice Crystal "Fire" Rainbow. This is an optical effect arising from, you guessed it, ice crystals in the atmosphere.

Sun dog rainbow

Our drive home was uneventful, although we did stop at that classic ornament of Cle Elum, McKean's Drive In, for the world's best milkshakes. After a hike in warm weather, a milk shake is the eleventh essential.