Ireland Trip, March 2009
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Author Archives: Rick Freeman
Mt. Fuji, July 2005
Mt. Fuji
Date: July 18, 2005
Difficulty:Â 7 out of 10
Distance:Â Not sure
Elevation Gain: 5,200′ (from station 5)
Time: 7 to 10 hours
Location:Â Honshu, Toyko
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: No Permits Required for July & August
Hiking with: Yuichuro Kanagawa & Toyama Norikazu
In 2005, I decided to climb Mt. Baker, Mt. Fuji and Mt. Rainier all in July. My friend Yuichuro Kanagawa from Japan was out to Seattle earlier in the year and he too is an avid hiker. So, I kindly asked him if he would take me up Mt. Fuji if I flew to Japan. Mt. Fuji is the most recognizable landmark in Japan and is their most sacred mountain. This is not a difficult climb, in fact over 200,000 people will attempt to climb the mountain and 30% of these people are from Western countries. Most people will try to summit to see the sunrise.Â
We started off at station 5 around 8:00 p.m. on the Kawaguchiko route. There are 5 routes to the summit and most of the routes will start at station 5.  The elevation at station 5 is around 7,000′ for all routes. When referring to stations, these are actually very large huts that can sleep 25 to 250 hikers. We stopped at station 8 (10,500′) for a 5 hour rest; for 7,000 yen ($70) you get about 18” width of floor to sleep on. Everyone sleeps shoulder to shoulder, packed like a can of sardines. Since I just flew from Seattle a day before, the hard floor and cramped spot was welcomed. We reached the summit of 12,388′ around 7:00 a.m.; the clouds and mist was so thick, there was no views to be had…there was no sunrise for us this day. After taking a bunch of pictures of each other, we decided to descend. There are a couple of one-way routes down and we chose the straight-line route that is actually bull-dozed.  There is no traversing, just straight down in the 8″ to 12″ thick ash; you had to keep your gators on to keep the mountain ash out of your boots. We were leaning back and running down in a skidding formation, which took us only 2 hours to get back to station 5 where we started yesterday. After we loaded everything back in the cars, we headed for the iron rich thermal waters (hot springs) near Mt. Fuji.
Mt. Whitney, August 2010
Mt. Whitney (one day trip)
Date: August 2, 2010
Difficulty:Â 9 out of 10
Distance:Â 22 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 6,500′
Time: 12 to 15 hours
Location: Near Lone Pine, California
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: Permits Required
Hiking with: Brian Lowry
Mt. Teneriffe, December 2010
Mt. Teneriffe (via Kamikazi Falls)
Date: December 22, 2010
Difficulty:Â 7 out of 10
Distance:Â 10.5Â 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.
Source Lake, November 2009
Source Lake Trail
Date: November 22, 2009
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 6 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 700 ft
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: I-90 exit 52; Alpental Ski Area
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: 12†to 20†of fresh fluffy snow
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Evangeline Yu & Dr. Robert McElroy
We met at our usual Starbucks, exit 17 to decide on what hike would suit everyone. It was raining all morning, so…we decided to hike Source Lake at I-90 exit 52 at Snoqualmie Pass. The rain kept coming down and it finally started to change to snow at the pass; as much as I love the rain….I would rather put my gear on in the snow than the rain any day. Finally snowing now, we exited at 52 and drove pass Alpental Ski area to the last parking lot.  Â
After putting on the gators and MSR snowshoes we started our snow adventure. It started deep and just got deeper; we were the first ones on the trail, which meant fresh deep snow. We followed the main snowshoe trail for a couple of miles and finally started to pick-up some elevation as we got closer to Source Lake. This is where we started blazing our own trail, at times we were going through snow waist deep high. After hitting the 3,800 foot level, Dr. Rob and I took turns breaking the trial; even with snowshoes on, we were sinking down over our knees. Linna and Evangeline were loving life with Rob and I compressing the trail to manageable 6 to 10 inches of snow. Â
Staying at the 3,800 foot level, we weren’t on the main trail…but just North enough to get around it and head for the east side. We had to be a little careful crossing the creek that feeds into Source Lake; there were some mini size crevasse that we had to cross. After getting on the East side, we couldn’t find the trail at first, so we trudged our way up in search for the trail back to Snow Lake trailhead. We didn’t find it at first, so we angled our way Southeast through the trees until we hit the avalanche prone area. Even though the chance of an avalanche was low, we crossed this area with care. After carefully crossing the open area, we found the trail and we were on our way home.
Denny Creek Trail, November 2009
Denny Creek Trail
Date: November 13, 2009
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 9 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,300 ft
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: I-90 exit 47
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Hiking with: Dr. Robert McElroy
Since they called for rain most of the day in Seattle and snow level dropping down to 1000 feet in the Cascades, Rob and I wanted to start our hike in the snow and avoid getting out of the car in rain. So, we decided to head Commonwealth Basin on exit 52 at Snoqualmie Pass, but due to a traffic accident after exit 47 that shut down I-90, we decided to snowshoe the Denny Creek. The road leading into Denny Creek trailhead was snow covered with 6 inches of snow and luckily we got passed early on by a large dually truck that made tracks for us. Turning into the parking lot we got stuck and were just spinning our tires, so I got out and pushed to give Rob’s car some momentum. We found some bare ground underneath a tree and parked the car  facing out toward the road for the end of the hike.
The snow was still coming down when we started hiking and never did stop for any small breaks during the hike. Underneath the tree canopy, the trail started off with 3 to 4 inches of snow that increased as we ascended. It was obvious that we were the first ones on the trail; it was all fresh snow below us. By the time we hit Horseshoe Falls, snow depth was between 10 to 14 inches of fluffy snow. About a quarter mile after the large rock field, the snow was getting deeper, so we decided to put on our snowshoes. Even with snowshoes, the fluffy snow was up to our knees. We took turns leading to break trail; actually Rob did most of the work though. After tromping through the thick snow for 2 ½ hours, we decided to turn back, right before Hemlock Pass.  Due to the high stepping through the snow, my thighs cramped up on the way down….I was instantly paralyzed trying to relax my cramps.
Eagle Peak, September 2009
Eagle Peak
Date: September 20, 2009
Difficulty:Â 6 out of 10
Distance: 7.2 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,955
Time: 4 to 5 hours
Location: Near Longmire, Washington
Users Group: Hikers Only
Permits: $10 per car access fee
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Patricia Chow & Garth Heuchert
After finishing an easy hike yesterday (Comet Falls) and today was going to be sunny warm day, we needed a hike with a colossal view; this is where Eagle Peak comes in. This hike should only be done on a sunny day, the Mt. Rainier views are to die for. This hike also deserves a little picnic on top so you spend time resting and absorbing the enormous views.
Kendal Katwalk, October 2009
Kendall Katwalk
Date: October 16, 2009
Difficulty: 5 out of 10
Distance: 11 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 2,700 ft
Time:Â 5 to 6Â hours
Location: Near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
Users Group: Hikers, Horses & Dogs
Permits: No Permits Required
Hiking with: Linna Freeman, Dr. Catherine Howe & Dr. Robert McElroy
We met up at Starbucks, exit 17 to discuss the numerous trails we could hike today. We ended up choosing the Kendall Katwalk for the easy gain, big views….and it has been a couple of years since I have done this hike. It has been a rainy week, but today was a break from the rain. The trail was free from debris with no snow to be seen. This was my first time hiking with Catherine; she pleasantly surprised me with her hiking abilities. Rob and Catherine led the hike with a consistent quick pace.
Mt. Teneriffe, December, 2010
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Mt. Teneriffe (via service road)
Date: Â December 17, 2010
Difficulty:Â 7 out of 10
Distance:Â 14 miles roundtrip
Elevation Gain; 3,838
Time:Â 5 to 6Â hours
Location: Near North Bend, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Dogs Only
Permits: None Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to thick snow.
Hiking With: Myself
I wanted to do some snowshoeing early Friday morning, but most of my friends were either working or busy doing other things. Since I was by myself, I chose to hike up/snowshoe the Mt. Tenerife service road versus the shorter steeper route via Kamikaze Falls.Â
I was the first one in the parking lot…well, except for the elk that were lurking around, one of the elks had a collar or tag around the neck. The trail or road was pretty wet for the first 1 1/2 miles and then the snow slowing started to build-up. I put on my snowshoes at the 2 mile mark and started to make fresh tracks…which is one of the reasons I like to start early. I love to be the first one on a fresh snow trail. Many people will follow the first trail started, so….you actually get to determine where the trails goes. Of course, since I was only snowshoeing the service road, there is not much variation creation.Â
It was a perfect day, sunny and warm enough that I didn’t have to wear a coat or a jacket. My MSR’s were sinking down about 6 to 8 inches in the thick snow. It got deeper the further I went and about the 5 mile mark, I had enough fun for one day and turned around. The service road is great for a large group of people, but….the 7 mile trek to the Mt. Tenerife summit will eat your time up. I only saw one other person on my way down….another reason to love this trail.
Tokyo Trip, January 2010
Linna and I had a great time in Tokyo on this trip.
Linna and I flew to Tokyo….