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.

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.

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