It is well past peak season up here, but no less beautiful. Jim Tourville invited me along with his friend Ashley to summit this foreboding fire tower mountain. The trail is 2.2 miles one way in what was dubbed in two trail guides as a "strenuous" hike.
Luckily for me, Ashley is just like me hiking and we kept a good pace as Jim and his dog Jake seemingly effortlessly breezed up the mountain.
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At 1.5 miles we hit the remains of a ranger cabin not unlike the Poko one. We stopped for water and pictures. Despite all our stops, we beat the time in the guide by thirty minutes. We came upon the summit unexpectedly, the tower just popped out of the woods. The view was amazing.
Despite missing steps and creaking boards, Jim and I ascended the rickety tower. The cab, however, was very sturdy. Jim took a digital took a short video with his digital camera and I took pictures.
The wind in the windowless cab sent chills through my sweat soaked body, and I quickly put on my fleece jacket. Ashley, who may be afraid of heights loaned me a neck warmer which looked stupid over just my ears.
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I only slipped once on the way down, but Ashley took a couple of seaters. THe crunching leaves mased prevarious rocks and pot-holes. I almost rolled an ankle in one of these hidden traps.
Jim's mom (who is magnificent and I adore) had michigans and cold beer ready for us back in Ellenburg. It was a great hike with great company.
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