Bears and Berries

Fall in the Pacific Northwest means many things: the days become shorter, the rain sets in, berries ripen, and bears are fattening up for the winter.  It's also time to strengthen up for ski season.  For me, that meant a trip to Granite Mountain.  As I switched shoes at the parking lot the rain began to fill the trunk of my car. Entering the forest it wasn't obvious whether the fog was thick or the clouds were low and think, in either case the visibility wasn't much more than 100 feet.  At least the canopy dampened the rain and it began to soften as the morning wore on.  The trail follows an old logging road for 0.7 miles and continues on to Pratt Lake.  The trail to Granite Mountain cuts off to the right where it gets narrow and steeper, rising through a second growth forest.  Soon, the trail hits an avalanche shoot falling from the exposed southern face of Granite.  The trail winds up and across the gully and enters another patch of trees before rising and crossing two more avalanche paths.  Finally, the trees clear at about 4,200 feet and the slope is covered with huckleberry bushes and other low-lying vegetation.  As I was getting tired, the huckleberries drew more and more of my attention: for their anti-oxidant properties I kept telling myself, my cardiologist would be proud!

Huckleberries on the bush

I gathered then individually and by the handful depending on how much of a rest I needed.

A handful of delicious huckleberries.

 Trudging up a bit further I came across a pile of fresh scat, full of the same berries I had been enjoying. It wasn't steaming but it got my attention and I kept on the lookout for my berry-picking competition.  The trail climbs steeply in a series of braided paths reflecting the number of people who frequent this area and the erosive force of the runoff that drains the hillside. Further up, the trail enters a gully and the hard work of trail crews is in evidence in the shape of rocky paths placed to cover deep ruts in the easily eroded soil.  At the end of the gully, the trail flattens for a bit before the final climb of about 500 steep, steep feet.  Here, the last vestige of snow was lingering in what was presumably a shady spot on the north side of the mountain.  Of course proving this theory requires a bit of sun for proof.

The end of hike is a fire lookout accessible by a steep staircase. A friendly volunteer ranger welcomed me to come in a warm up.  He was up for a long weekend and a couple of his coworkers had joined him for the day.  All three work for King County Parks on trail rehabilitation and habitat restoration projects.  Soon we were joined by three woman who had spent the summer on Bainbridge Island at the Islandwood facility in an environmental education program through the University of Washington.  It was a small-world moment to have seven people working on related subjects meet at the top of a rain-soaked mountain.

Granite Mountain lookout on a sunny day, photo by laffertyryan (Flickr)