11.5 miles of hiking • 3250' elevation gain •
What a miserable day: rain, fog, cold. A perfect day for a forest foray and we three intrepid souls accepted the task clad in rain gear and fleece. Arriving at the Rock Creek trail head near Lake Wenatchee we began our sylvan saunter amidst clouds and fog, the steady, at times hard, rain beating a tattoo upon our heads. The guidebook had promised a forest full of critters would seen but these eyes saw naught but the rain drops staining my spectacles. Still, there was a peace and serenity amidst the tress and soft, at times soggy, ground upon which we trod. After approximately 2.5 miles of relatively easy hiking we came to a junction with the Rock Tie trail and, ala Robert Frost, we took this road. Expecting a brutal climb we were pleasantly surprised by grades more elementary than acute. At 5100 feet we came upon patches of the white stuff, reminders that summer has indeed forsaken us for autumn's sullen mood. After about 1.6 miles we arrived at the junction with the Basalt Ridge Trail and, after a brief nosh, we ruefully began the climb to Basalt Peak sans views of any sort. Onward we trudged through falling temps, increasing winds, and rockier terrain. All was white as clouds corralled us to an ever-decreasing ken. Silence reigned save a funereal dirge the wind played upon the whistle attached to my pack. At 5600 feet snow mixed with rain fought for dominion over the mountain, rain barely ahead on points. The landscape changed to one of death and dying: remnants of trees burned by fire stood silently groaning in the wind's chilling embrace; the ground a quagmire, a soulless Caliban of the elements straining to suck us in as we stepped across his master's domain; rocks set by a drunken stonemason to turn the strongest ankle. The trail was lost in the blinding whiteness and, at 6260 feet, we retreated whence we came, returning to the last junction where we began an at times steep descent along the Basalt Ridge trail to the Chikamin road and from there, thanks to a good Samaritan couple and an aging canine with cataracts we secured a ride back to our and from there we made our way to the 59er Diner for a post-hike repast before returning home. Would any day ever compare?
