Back In The Saddle Mountain Again

We bought a house. For the past month getting that all done has been my life. I have sorely lacked any outside fun in that time but as of this past weekend everything is finally sorted out. After a particularly bad day at work and my original hiking plans falling through, I still needed a day out in the woods. After many years we finally decided to return to Saddle Mountain, the northern coast range masterpiece.

THE GOAL:
Do Saddle Mountain, maybe look for other off-trail options if possible.

THE PLAN:
Climb Saddle Mountain. This feels pretty straightforward.

THE TRIP:
Last time we did this hike it was mid-late summer and it was hot. The first two miles were swampy and humid with bugs and the last half mile was heat. This time we picked an overcast grey, relatively cool 58 degree day. It was a far better decision. It probably hurt our chances of getting a view at the top, but I'll take this temp on a hike any day.

The drive there is still long, and once you reach the turn, you then have to weave through the forest on a narrow road for 7 slow miles. Thankfully the road is paved and could definitely be worse. The trailhead isn't too big and we arrived a bit late, so it was already packed and we had to park fairly far up the road.

The trail is simple enough. Starts up through a campground and for the next two miles is a fairly reasonable uphill. Never terribly steep. I never needed a rest. It's mostly forested in and the lowest reaches are almost overgrown this time of year. You get an occasional view of Humbug Mountain to the south as modest rewards. The clear-cutting makes the landscape splotchy and it bums me out.

Close to 2 miles in you hit a wide camping area with a bench. I think this is the point where you can bushwhack your way to the eastern summit, and I found a game trail, but we didn't push it and just kept going. Maybe another day.

It's pretty astounding how much effort has been put into this trail. The final mile has a ton of chickenwire laid down underfoot to contain rocks and offer traction. There are several stretches of a wire railing held up by poles. There are at least 3 picnic tables with metal legs. The summit is fenced in with metal poles. You rarely see this much trail work on a PNW trek, but they must know this place is popular. The help is appreciated, especially at the end.

The trail opens up at 2 miles in to rocky cliffs and views. The meadows are covered in wildflowers. The views are expansive and you could easily stop at the rocky knob without going to the summit, because the view is great.

The other reason to skip the summit is that clouds love to envelop it. Been here twice and both times had a limited view. This hike is a risk if you are only in it for the views, because the weather and level of visibility shifts constantly.

The last reason you could skip the summit is the final half mile from the lower viewpoint is brutal. All exposed, steep as hell, and generally dizzying at a few spots. It's practically a different trail. If you huff and puff your way up though, it feels rewarding to just sit at the top and relax for a while.

On the way back down I managed to convince Keeley to explore the Humbug viewpoint. Last time we skipped it, because it is a .2 mile side trail near the base of the hike and she was tired and grumpy. This time we did it. I'm glad we did, we had the views to ourselves and it was great.

The detour requires a small scramble but shows a great look up at the great cliffs of Saddle above you, as well as an expansive view of Humbug Mountain across the valley. It is absolutely worth the short detour.

THE RESULTS:
5 miles, 1600 feet elevation gain. Solid bit of exercise, but nothing too hard. The final summit ascent sucks but at least you get views and wonderful flowers the whole time.