Commonwealth Basin

Sunday September 12th


I was listening to NPR while driving to Snoqualmie Pass as they debated whether to raise taxes for the highest income group.  The Ds say the rich folks are getting off too easy: millionaires and billionaires are paying at low rates while the Rs claim that many of those "rich" folks are small business owners, whose businesses would be harmed by higher taxes.  It occurs to me they are both right and both wrong.  I'm sure there are plenty of people that are very rich by most people's standards who are not small business owners.  Surely there is a way to tax them without taxing the small business owners who are creating jobs.  But enough fiscal policy, it is time to head to the hills.

The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) crosses Snoqualmie Pass at the summit.  The trailhead for the PCT northbound is right at the beginning of the Alpetal access road at an elevation of 3,000 feet.  The primary day hike destination is Kendall's Katwalk, a rocky ledge about 5.5 miles from the car with 2,700 feet of elevation gain.  It was a soggy morning about 9 a.m. when I booted up and hit the trail.  The first mile or so rises gently through mixed aged trees with a salal underbrush.  The trail leaves the forest to cross a flat area of rockfall, or should it be called boulder-fall?  There is one monster that may weigh up to 100 tons, surely a headache of massive proportions if another of those comes tumbling down.  The trail loses about 100 feet of elevation as it winds along the easiest  path through the rocks and crosses a couple of small streams cascading off high cliffs to the right. A short while later there is a sign indicating a trail dropping into Commonwealth Basin.  After walking along the PCT another few hundred yards the opportunity to try a new route proved too strong so I doubled back and hung a sharp right.

After an easy mile to a creek crossing the trail turned sharply upward along a ridge. Along this reach the roar of I-90 finally subsided and was replaced with a very similar sound, water burbling over rocks in a small stream.  I pondered that the main difference was the lack of the low frequency drone of trucks downshifting as the prepared for the grade in either direction down the pass.

The trail gains about 1,000 feet on short, steep switchbacks before it reaches a small basin with a shallow pond that forms the headwaters of the creek.  This was the end of my day since I had no idea how much further the trail continuted.  As it turns out the trail only went another 1/2 mile to a point between Red Mountain and Kendall Peak. I'll have to try it again when the weather is clear and I have a map in hand.