Please Tell Me Wyeth (trail)

THE PLAN:

Shit I need a plan I am literally walking out the door.

THE PLAN, UPDATED:
I'm gonna go to Toothrock Trailhead and take an easy but long stroll up the power line road to check out upper Tanner Creek Wait...it's like 80 degrees and sunny, the trail is exposed, and I don't have sunscreen, maybe that's a bad idea.

THE PLAN 3, RETURN OF THE PLAN:
Take Herman Creek trail up Nick Eaton Ridge, check off a couple sections I haven't marked off my map check. Oh shit the Parking lot is full why did I leave at 10:30.

4 PLAN 4 FOURIOUS: 
Fuck it, let's go up the Wyeth trail.

THE GOAL:

See if I can reach North Lake.

THE TRIP:

I did not reach North Lake.

The Wyeth Trail is a trail from the Wyeth Trailhead & Campground that leads up Wyeth ridge eventually to a cluster of trails and things around Green Point Mountain. North Lake, which lies on the east flank, is usually the main goal of anyone going up Wyeth. There really isn't anything else to do off of the Wyeth trail unless you want to climb flanking routes that don't have trails and probably have bears.

The trail starts at Gorton Creek, takes a quick spin up the Wyeth spur ridge under the powerlines, crosses Harphan Creek, then plunges into the woods and gets right to the bullshit.

The Wyeth Trail is one of those "Big climbs in the woods" trails, like Nesmith Point. A steep, difficult hike with little to no payoff that is mostly used for people who are training to climb better mountains. In fact the trail feels very much like Nesmith Point, only somehow even worse. It starts really bad. Past Harphan creek the trail plunges into the woods and immediately starts climbing up long, steep switchbacks.

I felt like shit almost immediately on the hills. I didn't eat a big meal the day before or a substantial breakfast so I was under-fueled (Remember this wasn't what I planned to do today). It was 11:30 and already about 70 degrees. I was hoping the extra cold and wet winter would give us a mild summer, but lol nope I guess not. It should not be hitting 80 in May, ugh. So it was hot and I felt bad. I made it about a mile in, sat on a nice big rock, and contemplated my life.

After a 10 minute break of feeling incredibly pathetic about myself I decided to keep going for the moment. I had seen another trip report that had a decent viewpoint halfway up the trail or so, maybe I could hit that and turn around. At this point I was driven up the hill entirely by a desire to not feel pathetic.

As if the hiking gods heard my dying prayers, the trail eases up after the first mile. It continues to switchback uphill, but after the steepness of mile 1 it feels almost flat. The trail hugs a steep cliff side in merciful shade for a while until it turns a corner and heads upstream for a while.

After some distance, the trail hits a creek, and turns uphill the opposite way. Then it hits the stream again, and again switchbacks away. Like the trail is a shy boy at a dance trying to hit on the stream but can't make a damn move. The trail crosses the stream on approach #3.

Right after the stream crossing the viewpoint hits. There is a corner of a hanging meadow with a semi-okay view, but if you bushwhack 20 feet down the ridge everything opens up. 

Mt. St. Helens looms over Carson, WA

Silver Star Mt. over the corner of Deadwood Point

Deadwood Point

semi-satisfied selfie

Flowers in the open meadow on Wyeth

After the viewpoint I was still feeling okay thanks to the trail easing up, so I kept going. My next goal would be the junction at the top of Wyeth ridge that splits off to North Lake. The trail switchbacks up the ridge some more, with a few more open meadow views (None as good as the first one). The trail after the viewpoint starts to be bullshit again. The steepness sneaks in slowly, but soon the climb returns. After you hit the final open meadow, everything sucks again for at least another 10 switchbacks in hot, boring woods. 

Finally, mercifully, the trail levels out on the ridgeline. Not long after, you hit the junction. Up goes to Green Point Mountain & more, left goes to North Lake, about another mile. I felt...okay. Like I could do it. However, I stood no chance, because between me and North Lake, on the trail, was the one thing I really didn't want to see. 

IM NOT MELTINNNNG, NOT MEEEEEEEELTINGGGG

Yup, snow was still here. Apparently 3,900 feet is the current snowline. I did not want to stumble and smush over a hard to see trail I've never done before for another mile. So I turned around.

The trip back sucked. I was slightly dehydrated (conserving water on purpose. Two 32 oz bottles is usually enough, but this heat was making it tough). The trail is steep downhill too, which is bad for knees and hips of tired people who just want to be home.

I snapped a few pics on the way back down in-between sessions of wanting to just fall down and see what rolling got me. I haven't felt this bad since Bullshit Mountain.

From the top of the biggest hanging meadow

Near Harphan Creek on the way home, I saw a snake! I see Garter Snakes all the time (Saw one last week on Eagle Creek, in fact) but this was new! It looks like a Ring-Necked Snake after my research. It wouldn't move so I poked it with my stick until it did. It was like a foot long. Neat.

On the way down, out of curiosity, I counted the switchbacks. 37 of them. Ugh. Finally back in the car I did something I'm not proud of: I stopped at a McDonalds drive-through just so I could get food and a drink. It was my first McDonalds in over 5 years and it served as a solid reminder why I stopped eating fast food burgers. It gave me the strength to get back, but it was bad food. Not even the fries were as good as I remember. 

RESULTS:

Probably just over 8 miles, roughly 3,800 elevation gain. I may return one day, in better shape, better prepared, to conquer North Lake.