Mt. Rose

Did I mention how much Lovecake and I love the Olympics?  It seems through our research, on a day's trip, hikes like Mt. Ellinor are hard to find in the Olympics.  On Ellinor looking down to Mt. Rose, we really were not interested in doing it.  However, figuring that we did not have the gear nor did the kids have the experience to continue with the Olympics, we decided we would give Mt. Rose a shot, as our farewell to the Olympics until next year (unless we do Enchanted Valley and the Glacier).  Looking back I would say what a way to bow out.  I thoroughly enjoyed this hike.

To get there, we took I-5 S to exit 104 in Olympia, then exited 101 N to Shelton until we hit Hoodsport.  Might I say that I would enjoy living in Hoodsport.  I imagine myself in that little touristic village, Lovecake working for the diving company there, Amira reading a book on one of the bay decks, ice cream walks... *swoon*  Moving on... So at Hoodsport we took a left on Forest Road 119 until it ended (a little over 9 miles).  Instead of turning right here to Mt. Ellinor, you turn left to Mt. Rose, past the road to the Mt. Rose community and you will see the parking lot sign on the right.  No pass requirement is posted.  You'll walk past 2 streams to the trailhead, where the registry and trail information sheets are posted.

So from the trail map, it is 1.8 miles to the summit loop junction.  Going left is another 1.1 miles to the summit.  If you go right, it is 1.7 miles to the summit.  If you did the full loop, from trailhead and back, it is 5.4 miles.  Doesn't seem bad at all, does it?

We started an immediate elevation gain, switchbacking until you hit the first viewpoint.  From there it has minor switchbacks, mainly a straightforward approach to the junction.  Keep an eye out between switchback 4 and 5 -- there is an eagle's nest in a tree above.

About a mile into it, we were feeling like it was a great workout.  So I hear that this is like the Mailbox of the Olympics.  When I looked at the math of the elevation gain and the mileage, I thought that to be a slight exaggeration.  However, I am a bit shocked at how it really is that steep.  I think it is a good trainer, because it is quite strenuous in its gain, but you have the safety of not having to deal with exposure.  I have yet to do Mailbox.  I would, however, compare this trail to the Old Si trail.  In fact, once you hit the summit loop junction, on the left hand side, after a bit of a bigger climb, you come to this boulder meadow area that reminds me much of Old Si's Boulder Garden Loop.  

We took a few minutes to catch our breath when we got to the summit loop junction, then moved left.  It immediately seemed as if the elevation gain grew steeper; but, alas, it leveled out about halfway through this left side of the loop.  This is the part that reminded me of the Boulder Garden Loop to the Old Si Trail.  At this point we were in the low cloud cover.  It was so serene, especially at a moment of not gaining much elevation in hiking.  I could have camped here, happily, and yet I don't even like camping.  

The last quarter of the way, the elevation tackling started once again for the final push.  Just when you think this little mountain can't get any higher, it does!  You see the red rock of this beauty as you climb through the old burn sites.  I can imagine on a clear day Lake Cushman can take your breath away.  For us in the fog, the climb itself was doing a good enough job of doing that.  

Finally, we made it to the summit, where we had lunch and came to see a lonely bird want lunch too.  Around 45 minutes into the summit lunch break, we heard hikers from both sides of the loop coming.  Up until that point we saw nobody.  What is neat is that today, the day after that hike, 2 hours away from that trail, at the zoo, I saw the left (back) side loop hikers we met on the summit.

As you can see, we did not have a view to look upon.  I really wanted to see the sparkling waters of Lake Cushman, and the reflection of the surrounding summits upon it.  I did have a spiritual reflection on this though... sometimes it is best not to see so far out, but rather to be tucked safely into the cloud -- that is, the presence of the Lord.  A mountain reflection upon the water would have been nice, but, ultimately, the reflection we want to see is the Lord.  How else is that obtained if not in His presence?  So above you see our summit picture, upon a solid rock and yet you can see nothing but the cloud.  I want to be that climber in life, whose end is the Solid Rock and who anyone can see none other than God's own presence in my life.

On the way down we saw another woman who commented on how she didn't think she would make it, then past the junction we met another one who said he did this 3 times and only reached the summit once.  I hope that man made it.  Again, it is not dangerous, just steep.  I enjoyed it with our family, but the fact that it is one of the smaller Olympic mountains and doesn't have much exposure will fool you into thinking this could be one of the first of the year.  We rated it a 7 out of 10, strictly for strength needed and not strategy needed.  The trail is kept up nicely.  It is a completely different experience from Mt. Ellinor, its neighbor.  I imagine, though, that all of the Olympics are unique and one of a kind.  

It took us 2:45 to summit, 55 minutes as a summit lunch break, and then 2:00 back to the car.  Total hike time was 4 hours and 45 minutes, then adding in the 55 minutes for lunch.

I normally don't like forest hikes, even if they have an elevation gain.  This one, though, was beautiful.  I don't know why they named it Mt. Rose, as I didn't see many roses.  (I did, however, see very many spider webs.  This makes sense since there were many gnats and mosquitos).  Perhaps, it is because it, like a rose, is just beautiful.