Mt. Teneriffe, December 2010

Mt. Teneriffe (via Kamikazi Falls)
Date:
December 22, 2010
Difficulty: 7 out of 10
Distance: 10.5 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 3,838 ft.
Time: 5 to 6 hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: Dry up to Kamakazi Falls, snow at 2,800 ft.
Hiking with: Dr. Robert McElroy

Rob and I met our at usual location, off of I-90….exit 11a and got to the trail around 8:00 a.m..  Since I hiked/snowshoed up the service road last week, we decided to take the Kamikaze Falls trail to the summit.  This is a much shorter route versus the long, sometimes mind-numbing 7 mile service road.  The Kamikaze Falls route has been listed from 3.3 to 4 miles long, either way, it’s a steep assent.

We made good time up to the falls (elevation 2,633′), we took a break to take a few photos of the 150′ waterfall.  After a couple of poses, we kept trekking up the steep slope and eventually hit snow around 2,800′.  The snow started to get deeper and we decided to put on our gators and snowshoes on around the 3,700′ point.  After 3 hours from the trailhead, we hit the beautiful white summit….and of course we took a few more pictures.  We descended the safer route via service road….and endured the 7 long miles down.  According to my heart rate moniter/calorie counter, I burned 4,100 calories and my heart rate peaked at 167.