Chiwawa-Fortress

[plexus]

Finally after two years I am returning to Seattle for a wedding and then 10 days of fun!! My one trip the wife and I have scheduled (the rest is by the loops of our harnesses) is Chiwawa and Fortress.

 

What is snow level like now? We were going to camp Chiwawa Basin and was wondering how wildflowers, and on a play of words, wildfire season is going to be. Since I can only gaze from afar I was looking for some intimate details of what the wx has been like (normal NW fare, drier, wetter?) and conditions are like.

 

Thanks guys (and gals)!!

[matt_warfield]

Washington had a very dry winter with low snowpack so expect early snow melt and a dry summer with ramifications on flowers and fire potential. have a great trip.

[klenke]

What Matt said. Although you didn't specifically say when you will be coming.

 

As for climbability, Chiwawa and Fortress are already good-to-go. The trail will be snowfree most of the way to its end.

 

A couple of weeks ago the road (Chiwawa River Road) was still closed due to a boulder across the road. The ranger I talked to back then estimated another couple of days to get it out of the way. The road was closed at Atkinson Flat for this. I suspect the road has been cleared all the way to Trinity now.

[JoshK]

Yes, but take into account the Spring has been pretty much nothing but clouds and rain so far. Hopefully the soil is soaking up some of the moisture...

[tread_tramp]

dkemp said in this thread that he got within a couple hundred feet of Chiwawa's summit last weekend. You might check with him.

[nolanr]

I haven't been in that area but in general we've had variable weather w/ plenty of precipation and mostly cool temps. Not much snow has been melting the last several weeks it doesn't appear. Still plenty above 5,000'.

[dkemp]

Yep we were just up there last weekend. We camped below Red Mtn, right at the last big bend in the trail, rather than the basin below. The basin is totally melted out and we like snow camping, so we tried higher. We sort of snow camped - we were so determined that we found snow patches barely big enough for the tents - it was absurd and funny. Avalanche lilies are everywhere and its very beautiful. FYI, there is a horse-camp up there.

 

I was really enchanted by the area - didnt know I would like it so much. Views of peaks downvalley are awesome.

 

From our camp we followed the trail until it petered out, then did the long snowy traverse to Chiwawa. In the storm we failed to find a way that would go for us on that day.

 

Saturday June 11, just below our turn-around

 

 

 

Until the week after July 4, expect some of this:

 

[JoshK]

That area of the Glacier Peak wilderness is one of my favorite places. The valleys and big peaks are just gorgeous. Spider Meadow is another favorite, along with the view down to the Lyman Lakes from the Spider Glacier Col.

 

-josh

[plexus]

That area of the Glacier Peak wilderness is one of my favorite places. The valleys and big peaks are just gorgeous. Spider Meadow is another favorite, along with the view down to the Lyman Lakes from the Spider Glacier Col.

 

-josh

 

That's one of the main reasons we're going. We have never been in that part of the Cascades and the photos I've seen of the area were memorable enough for me to remember, "Must go there before I snuff it."

 

We get in a week from yesterday, have wedding duties that weekend, so looking at hitting the trail in a week and a half.

 

I'm just afraid that my homesick wife, once out there, will not want to leave and I'll get taking a plane alone back to Denver. Ambitious plans on this trip back to the NW were tempered by the fact the wife has just finished her thesis (THANK GOD!!! ) and hasn't done a whole lot outdoors since, well, since we left. So the second trip will either be backpacking 3rd Beach or a trip to and up Lemah and Chickamin.

 

BTW, thansk for all of your help guys. I can already taste that Skagit River Brewery Brown Ale!!!