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Home > Evergreen Podcast > Lake Valhalla Hike


	Podcast:		Evergreen Podcast
	Episode:		Lake Valhalla Hike
	Category:		Society & Culture
	Duration:		00:00:00
	Publish Date:		2020-08-27 01:16:48
	Description:		I took a week off from hiking and planned to resume my adventures last Wednesday after work. I've got two days off (Thursday and Friday) and decided it's a great opportunity to try and go on a 3-night & 23-mile backpacking trip near Glacier Peak. Let me just say that it ended up being a 12-mile 2-night trip... 20 miles away from the trail I've initially planned to hike. It's a funny story, actually. Let me back up a little. I plan my hikes in advance, and I put quite a bit of work into this planning. I want to know what to expect, what to prepare for, what to look forward to. Before I arrive at the trailhead, I usually have a map, a backup map, a plan, a route, planned campsites, Plan B campsites, water sources, sketchy river crossings and more. I also try to tailor the gear and supplies I take with me to the specifics of the trail I'm about to spend a few days on. This trip was no exception. I planned to hike a 23-mile loop, starting at North Fork Skykomish river trailhead and going counter-clockwise via Cady Ridge towards Dishpan Gap and back along the river. It supposed to take me 3 full days (allowing for unexpected) and included climbing Benchmark Mountain and hiking about 6 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. I planned to arrive at the trailhead before dark on Wednesday; it sounded like a sure thing. The road to trailhead was a fairly straight line from Index, WA which is fairly close to my house. With offline maps in hand, I packed my pack, got into my car and took off. Now. When you turn a corner and see an old mossy sign saying that the road is closed ahead, don't disregard it. Maybe the sign is there for a reason, and Google Maps, Apple Maps and some other maps just don't know better. This was my first mistake — trusting technologies instead of a road sign. Anywho, about 13 miles from the trailhead I stopped at a road barricade saying "Road Closed". I was in such a shock that I didn't even make a photo, but here's the exact spot of the barricade. © Rod Crowford Or here. © Neil Hodges Anyway, suffice to say, the "Road Closed" sing was ~~ironic~~ redundant. Apparently, this section of the road washed away in 2006, and is now North Fork Skykomish river
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