Beautiful Evening Walk in the Mountain Loop Highway

Beautiful Evening Walk in the Mountain Loop Highway

Page Type Page Type: Trip Report
Location Lat/Lon: 48.06213°N / 121.50192°W
Date Date Climbed/Hiked: Jan 21, 2008
Activities Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering
Seasons Season: Winter

Introduction

This was around the time that mountaineering was a distant thing. I even considered giving up mountaineering, it was something I had such a high passion for, could not get my mind off of it. I had taken the adventures of my life for granted, always thinking they could never possibly go away. I was much wrong on that, on October 20, 2007 me and my mom got into a car accident on the way to Mount Rainier which is when everything changed. For months I would then be out of adventure which I later on figured would not come back to me. The rest of the story can bee seen here. Fortunately there was a change, my mom had managed to get enough money to be able to fix the car which then I would be able to get to the mountains, although it was still limited. From then on I decided to never take a mountaineering trip for granted, no matter how low. Fortunately I got my chance to get out on January 21, 2008.

Monte Cristo Peaks Area
Monte Cristo Peak Area

The Beautiful Day Out

Three Fingers Mountain from Lake Stevens
Three Fingers Mountain on the Way

Whitehorse Mountain in Winter
White Horse Mountain

We started off at the usual gated off spot just after Silverton which from here it would be a walk over a snow covered road, although mostly flat. My mother made slow progress as we walked along, plus our late start made it impossible for us even to get up Perry Creek, so we decided to make it a nice scenic trip out. As we traveled along good views of Big Four, and Stillagaumish and Del Campo came out.

Long Mountain from the Road
Long Mountain from the Road

Eventually it started to get late which we decided to turn around, but I wanted to stay as long as possible. From here I let my mom and brother go ahead while I take in the moment of perfection. The sun setting on slopes around brought up flaming red colors and then to a gorgeous blue which I could simply stare at forever. As I look over the horizon I could see the moon shining over the ridge which I got a boost of strange energy. The temperatures all around became significantly colder quite fast forcing me to put my glove on as fast as I could.

Alpenglow on Stillaguamish Peak
Alpenglow on Stillaguamish Peak

Sunset over Mount Dickerman
Sunset over Mount Dickerman

Big Four Evening
Big Four Evening

Del Campo during Sunset
Del Campo Peak during Sunset

Alpenglow on Sheep Mountain
Alpenglow on Sheep Mountain

Alpenglow on Long Mountain
Alpenglow on Long Mountain

Moon Walk And Conclusion

After things got a bit darker, the moon rose above the mountains more now creating a reverse effect lighting up the landscape. I tried at first to catch up to my mom and brother but I knew it was pointless and eventually gave up to enjoy the scenery all around me.

Moon Light on Big Four
Moon Light on Big Four

Joyous Moment in the Mountains
Joyous Moment in the Mountains

The trees everywhere around looked dead, it had a ghostly feeling due to the darkness, and the black and white from all the snow around. On the side of the road there were a few knocked over trees which I would have to duck around. I was no walking along chanting and perhaps singing a unfamiliar song, one without words. But I was feeling the excitement of the place. Eventually I reach the end of the road which sadly meant I would have to go back home. I looked over to the moon over the mountain which I wondered whether I should go, but this quote sums up my emotions: "But I've got promises to keep, many more miles to go before we sleep, and many more miles to go before we sleep." -Robert Frost

Long Mountain during Night
Long Mountain during Night Time

The Moon over Mount Dickerman
The Moon over Mount Dickerman

After this trip I was fortunate enough to be able to continue on mountaineering, and get help from my friend Gimpilator and others. But it was not easy later on to maintain being able to go on adventure, but at least it lasted for quite a while.

Comments

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gimpilator

gimpilator - Mar 18, 2011 1:48 am - Voted 10/10

Sweet

You've got a great collection of nice shots here. It just goes to show that not every hike has to make it to a summit to be a good trip.

Josh Lewis

Josh Lewis - Mar 18, 2011 2:43 am - Hasn't voted

Re: Sweet

Thanks Adam! Agreed! Probably half or so of my best photography were taken on trips were I did not make the summit, although mostly in winter time. A Great time I had, even though it was not that far of a walk (although semi deep snow making the travel harder) but a memorable experience.

Viewing: 1-2 of 2


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