Tag Archives: Hiking in North Bend Washington

hiking, North Bend, Peak Bagging

Dirty Harry’s Peak

October 9, 2023 Roger Jenkins Leave a comment

Middle Fork Snoqualmie Natural Resource Conservation Area

Near North Bend

Activity: Day Hike, Peak Bagging

10 miles, Summit 4,679′, 3,537 elevation gain, 6.5 hour duration, rated HARD

My journey began beside the fast moving Snoqualmie River and into a dense forest of thick, tall, dark green fir trees. I was so captivated by the immense natural beauty that all I could do was walked on wide eyed and praying not to awaken from this heavenly dream.

When you challenge yourself to engage a “HARD” rather remote wilderness hike you have to ask yourself, “Do I feel lucky?” Actually Dirty Harry’s Peak is not named after famed actor Clint Eastwood’s portrayal of Inspector Harry Callahan. The peak got it’s name after Harry Gault a relentless and determined logger who would not let anything stop him, even steep, rough terrain. He cleared lumber even in this place which others though impossible.

Actually Dirty Harry’s Peak has nothing to do with a
44 Magnum, the World’s most powerful handgun.

Trekking poles are most helpful for this adventure because above Dirty Harry’s Bench it all gets kicked up a notch. My plan was originally only hiking to the Bench, but while on this journey I found out about the peak and it was just too intriguing for a Peak Bagger not to accept this challenge. Double the pleasure, double the fun, and that goes for the altitude, mileage, duration, and rating. Trekking poles are good not only for the steeper portions, but certainly come in handy for the multiple creek crossing. A bit of the trail is actually a creek.

On the upper portion of the mountain I saw very few people. This allowed me to become fully immersed in my surroundings, enjoying nature and the solitude. I really had the top all to myself.

As I climbed higher and higher there was even quite a bit of snow lasting into the early Summer. The poles, of course, were great for the snow. Maybe I should not have left the micro spikes in the rig… Oh well, I didn’t know there was a peak until I was well into the hike.

I thought that I was once again going to get skunked on the view from the top like I did at Rattlesnake Ledge… when Lo and Behold, with a little breeze the thick moody fog cloud broke a hole open for me to see behind the curtain for about 5 minutes, which was absolutely splendid! The view went from a socked in blank page of white cloud nothingness to a bit of blue sky and super peak-a-boo glimpses of the surrounding mountainsides. I peered down the cliff I was standing on taking in a wonderful little alpine valley below.

From there it was back down through the snow being ever so careful on this icy slip and slide picking my course through the woods, over and around logs, and brush making my way. Knowing all too well I was on my own if anything should go awry. Especially with the snow covering any path that there might be, a downloaded GPS maps is important.

On the way down I was afforded some wonderful views from
Dirty Harry’s Bench.

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Thanks for joining me on this enchanting and exciting journey ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’ in this PNW wonderland near North Bend. This particular trek is not for the faint of heart, but a challenging peak to bag especially with a name like “Dirty Harry” even if it has nothing to do with the 44 Magnum the most powerful handgun in the world! Stay with me for more adventures in Washington. Please note that PBTA travels all over this great West of ours and if you go the Menu above you just may gain some insight for contemplating your own journey of Balance. Balance that is so important to our body and soul. Each category in the Menu is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Speaking of which, the best way for us to remain connected is simply by these actions: FOLLOW, COMMENT, LIKE, and SHARE. Get your PBTA Merch at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

North Bend, Peak Bagging

Little Si and Boulder Garden Loop

September 12, 2023 Roger Jenkins 2 Comments

Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area

North Bend

Day Hike, Peak Bagging

6 miles, 1,560 elevation, 1,742’ elevation gain, duration 3.5 hours, rated Moderate

Date: 6-19-22

My plan starting out was that I was only going to do Little Si Boulder Garden. Well, that led to a loop is always better than out and back, which led to the summit is only 1.5 miles further.

I did the Boulder Garden Loop counterclockwise. If I had it to do over I would have done the Little Mount Si Summit first then the Boulder Garden Clockwise. The way I did it featured beautiful green luscious ferns, stately firs, and moss covered boulders. It was steep, but the decline was even steeper. I would rather tackle the steepest portion going up hill. Going down a slippery steep incline is problematic.

I am so glad that I added the summit on to my trek. It was wonderful. It had all the fantastic features of a proper PNW forest plus add large moss covered boulders, rocky bluffs, cliffs with ferns, and then the views of Mount Si, (Mount Si is a heavy duty hike that hopefully I will get the chance to take on at some point), from Little Mount Si were heavenly. Looking the other direction trekkers are treated to a glorious view of the Upper Snoqualmie Valley and North Bend

This is a very popular hike, so plan accordingly. You will need a Discover Pass for parking. I was there on Father’s Day, apparently a day that Dad get’s to choose the activity, and he chose hiking. Trekking poles are helpful as this hike starts out on the steep with switchbacks then levels out, but the last portion become steep once again.

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**“In every walk with nature one receives more and then he seeks.” – John Muir**

Thanks for coming along ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ with me on this journey to find balance between the everyday world filled with obligations and duties, and this magical carefree world of nature and adventure. We need both in order to thrive, but we certainly need that balance and the healing that profound experiences in Nature can bring. Stay with me as this is a never ending journey into Nature and ourselves. You can do that by these simple tasks: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you like my hat in the photo you can purchase one and other top quality PBTA logo gear at SHOP APPAREL. If you peruse the menu above you will see that PBTA ventures to many extraordinary locales, each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

North Bend

Teneriffe Falls and Teneriffe Mountain Loop

June 15, 2023 Roger Jenkins Leave a comment

MOUNT SI NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION AREA

NORTH BEND

Activity: Day Hike, Chasing Waterfalls, and Peak Bagging

11.7 miles, 4748’ elevation, 4308’ elevation gain, 7 hour duration, rated HARD

Date: 6-18-22

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Teneriffe Falls, words can’t describe it, at least I can’t find the words that would do it justice. The falls were just super amazing, so beautiful, so powerful, so glorious. There are also plenty of little falls and lots of stream crossings, none of which were hard to maneuver. The forest, green, lush and silent- aside from the occasional bird call, babbling brook, or far off falls. A dank, fresh, earthy smell filled the air, yet every once in a while I would go by some flowering plants and the aroma… such a sweet and wonderful experience.

Trail to Teneriffe Falls is fraught with difficulty.

I decided to add on Teneriffe Mountain to my adventure. Being a Peak Bagger I was eyeing it as an additional feat. I spoke to a young hiker along the way. He asked if I was going to the peak? I said I had thought about it. He had been to the falls many times and was on his way to the top afterwards. He said it was “hard”. I asked, “Harder than what we had just done? His reply was, “A lot harder”.

Trail I took to the summit of Teneriffe Mountain can hardly be called a trail at all.
I suppose this is why it is called Kamikaze Trial.

That turned out to be an understatement. From the very beginning the going was so tough that it appeared as if there wasn’t a trail at all. I had to really pay attention and check my GPS as the path intersected animal trails that could confuse the direction. On a trail named ‘Kamikase’ I was always glad to meet other people which led me to believe I was on the right track. But basically It was just straight up the mountain. A hiker above dislodged a rock about the size cantaloupe and it came tumbling down narrowly missing me. He apologized and exclaimed that he tried to yell, but was drowned out by the sound of the falls. The trek was a lot of scrambling up a muddy, rocky, and slippery steep incline. It encompassed category 2 and 3 scrambling.

I met some good people along the way, and joined them to the top. It was near the summit that we clambered into snow and post holed our way up the rest of the journey. The snow was patchy during the last portion of the assent. However on the way back down there was a good amount of the trail covered in snow. The weather at the peak unfortunately was a Pacific Northwest cloudy misty drizzly kind of day. So the spectacular view that we should have been enjoying was instead just the inside of a cloud. It was still special to be on top. The forecast had called for a brisk 39 degrees at the summit. I was still super heated from the difficult climb, so I was fine in just my short sleeve shirt.

Then came the fretting about trying to make it down that treacherous and very steep mountain. I opted for the longer way down which made it a loop and added some different sights to experience. It turned out that it was a good choice although it was still a pretty good decline so certainly not an easy journey. My legs can attest to that.

**“If happiness is the goal, and it should be,**
**then adventure should be top priority.”**
**– Richard Branson**

**What happened to the beautiful view I was expecting atop Teneriffe Mountain?**

Thanks for joining me on this epic adventure as I found myself ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ at a gorgeous water fall, and on to top making it a magnificent day. There are more of these spectacular days ahead so I invite you to stay with me by doing a few easy tasks: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. You just might find some ideas for your own adventure at the above menu. PBTA ventures all over this wonderful West of ours, enjoying Nature and seeking the Balance it can bestow. The menu is categorized mostly by location, but sometimes by activity, each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. If you are looking for great quality Adventure Wear than look no further than my line of PBTA logo items at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trials-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure