Trip Reports

New Years Day 2015 Hangover Run - January 1, 2015
Mother nature delivered some snow just in time to bring in 2015 snow wheeling the broncos. We covered a lot of ground in search of something new. There isn't a lot snow yet, but it was still a fun day out cruising the backcountry in the snow. Check out the full Trip Report on the forum.

Snow Wheeling - December 27, 2014
It's been a long wait, but we finally got some snow in the Cascades. After an extra long dry spell, we set out for a day snow wheeling. Since this was the first major accumulation of the season, there wasn't a lot of snow, but plenty to have some fun! Great day cruising the backcountry in the snow! Check out the full Trip Report on the forum.

Family Snow Wheeling and Snowshoeing - February 23, 2014
As our 2013/2014 winds down, Old Man Winter gave the North Cascades several more feet of fresh snow! Today I took the whole family up for a little snow wheeling and snowshoeing. I drove the bronco up until snow was 6-7+ feet deep, then we took a little snowshoe trek. The kids had a great time riding in the bronco and trying out their new snowshoes, which they've been waiting all year to try out! Check out the full Trip Report on the forum.

Snow Wheeling - February 17, 2014
Finally! We've got some snow! As luck would have it, Steve and I both had Monday off work. We loaded up our Broncos and headed out for some snow wheeling. Conditions were great for this time of year and made quick progress up the mountain to deeper snow. We decided to finish the last leg of the mountain on snowshoes. Visibility was pretty poor all day, but we did have a couple cool encounters with a pair of White-tailed Ptarmigans, aka Snow Quail. Check out the full Trip Report on the forum.

Snow Wheeling - February 1, 2014
As our winter rapidly slips away without any significant snowfall, I decided to take what I can get and hooked up with forum member n16ht5 and his family for a little snow wheeling adventure. As we headed up the mountain, we were begining to wonder if we were going to find any snow at all, much less need to air down and lock in the hubs. Finally around 3,000 feet, we found snow. At the summit we had lunch in one of the remaining lookout towers in Washington state. It was in pretty rough shape due to vandalism, but still a cool destination. Overall it was a great day to be out in the mountains!

Mount Dickerman - January 1, 2014
Due to the severe lack of snow, we were unable to go Snow Wheeling for the Annual Hangover Run. In our quest to find snow, Steve and I decided to climb Mount Dickerman on New Year's Day 2014. The 360 view from the top was completely worth the effort. We could see from Mount Baker to Mount Rainier. The weather was incredible, and completely unexepected. It felt like June 1st instead of January 1st. I've posted a more detailed Trip Report on the forum.

No Snow! - December 27, 2013
Headed up to see if there was enough snow for the Annual Hangover run. Not good! I've been snow wheeling for 20 years, and this is the worst that I have seen it. The 2004/2005 winter was bad, but not this bad. I found very little snow and miles of ice! Looks like the Annual Hangover Run is a bust. First time!

Climbing and Glissading on Mount Pilchuck - June 1, 2013
Climbing Mount Pilchuck in the snow is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time. After seeing n16ht5's recent trip report I was happy to see that there was still a decent amount of snow up there. When EBSteve asked if I wanted to go, he didn't have to ask twice. I invited my uncle at the last minute and he was in too! We hit the trailhead bright and early and were the first on the mountain. The road was pretty much clear to the parking lot. We started out with the snowshoes on thinking the snow was going to be soft at the lower elevation. We ditched the snowshoes pretty early, didn't really need them. The snow was plenty firm. Had to lock in the hubs in a few spots. Sections of the trail were steeper than I had expected. Nice to have a little challenge here and there. We got some great glissading in on the way down.

Backcountry Sledding at Mount Baker - March 9, 2013
After a complete lack of lowland snow this winter, we decided to head up to Mount Baker to do some backcountry sledding. The new Mountain Boy Slalom sleds worked great! I loved having the maneuverability of the of the classic steel runner Flexible Flyer sleds in the fresh snow. The Rush Snowtube is awesome too! Good sleds are the only way to go.I guess there are a few different "unofficial" sledding areas. Since I hadn't been sledding at Mt Baker before, it took us a bit to figure out where to go. You just have to follow the one-way around to the end, and hop over the snow birm. The Highwood Lake basin creates an awesome little bowl for sledding. The slopes range from mild to wild. We picked a pretty mellow spot and made a perfect day of it.

Overnight Snow Wheeling - January 25-26, 2013
Our overnight snow wheeling trip turned out awesome. We hit the mountain around 7:30pm and were in the snow by 8pm. The weather turned out to be just about perfect. The expected weather system didn't arrive until the early morning. The moon was 94% full and there were a lot of openings in the cloud cover so we had great natural lighting. The snow that stopped us New Year's day had settled enough that we pretty easily broke trail up the mountain. The next day we pushed higher up the mountain and encountered some massive snow drifts and a few tree wells. We were ultimately stopped large snow drift about 25 feet from the top lookout area. Probably could have made it, but it just wasn't worth the work to go 25 feet.

New Year's Day Hangover Run 2013 - January 1, 2013
Brought in another New Year snow wheeling. We had plenty of snow this year, but it was go-slo snow of the worst kind. The top crust just wasn't strong enough to support us, and underneath, nothing but sugar snow. Progress was extremely slow. At lunch half the group broke to find some better snow. We continued to push up the mountain, but fell far short of the top. While we still had some daylight, we decided to try and hit another road with a chance of a view. Since we had broke trail a couple weeks prior, we easily made it to the top. The featherweight Samurai on 36's was the winner for the day.

Snow Wheeling in the North Cascades - December 22, 2012
Once again our snow wheeling destination was blocked by logging equipment. This time an excavator lost a track and was stuck in the middle of the road... 50 feet from fresh snow. We headed out to a different road and eventually found some snow. The dreded Cascade Concrete. Initially the snow wasn't very deep, but it was very difficult to drive in and after one pass became extremely slick. The steep sections of road were especially difficult. None the less we pushed forward and made a day of it.

Snow Wheeling Rat Trap Pass - December 8, 2012
Todays snow wheeling trip almost didn't happen. Just as we hit the snow at our first destination, the road was blocked due to a timber sale We weighed our options and decided to head further up river and check out Rat Trap Pass. Turns out, it was a great choice! We went in on the south side and we were in awesome snow in no time. We broke trail all the way over the pass. Before we knew it we were dropping in elevation.Since neither of us had been up there before, we wanted to see where the other side let out. I suspected it cut through to the Suiattle, and I was correct. We still had daylight to burn, and without a map, we didn't know if there was anything else near by. So we decided to turn around and drive back over Rat Trap Pass. This time we stopped at the top to take a break. Just as the daylight was starting to fade, two jeeps passed by. They were the only other folks we saw up there. Overall, it was a good day. We blew threw so fast we didn't really stop to get many pics. There wasn't much to see today anyway. I did get a lot of gopro video. Hopefully I got a few good clips I can post later.

Camp Muir (Mount Rainier) - September 23-24, 2012
My journey to the summit of Mount Rainier is officially underway. Last weekend I successfully completed phase two of my plan. Phase one consisted of getting back into reasonable shape. Phase two, was to hike to camp muir for a night to get a better idea if I actually want to try to summit! Which brings us to the phase two trip report... Camp Muir, elevation 10,100'. We didn't really plan on a late September Muir trip, but as is typical, the end to our summer was rapidly approaching. Steve and I put our real lives on hold and set a plan in motion.

Snow Wheeling Boardman Lake rd - January 21, 2012
Today's snow wheeling trip took us up the Boardman Lake rd. We had been waiting for some decent snow accumulation at this low elevation spot. Unfortunately the good weather didn't hold and it warmed up and rained heavily the night before. The result...several feet of slush! Some places the snow literally turned to water as we drove. We expected a lot of downed trees, but only encountered a few. We took a short snowshoe walk into Lake Evan. Always cool to see a frozen lake.

Hangover Run 2012 - January 1, 2012
Mother nature threw us a curve ball for the 2012 hangover run. A massive land slide took out the road. We headed north to Whatcom county to do a little snow wheeling in my old turf. It was a pretty short trip to the top once the snow was deep enough. Still haven't gotten much snow accumulation this year. Never know what to expect on New Year's Day!

November Snow Wheeling - November 19, 2011
An epic start to the 2011-2012 snow wheeling season. A beautiful sunny day in the North Cascade Mountains. The snow was borderline surgar snow at times. Progress to the summit was difficult and slow, sometimes only a foot at time, but the payoff was totally worth it!

2011 Rainier Mountain Festival - Sept 10, 2011
I heard about the annual Rainier Mountain Festival on the radio. Having never been to Paradise, I figured this was a great excuse to make the trek. We stopped in at the festival in Ashford, rubbed elbows with the Mountain Guides, then continued on up to Paradise. While I generally, try to avoid places with so many people, it was well worth the trip. There were many well maintained trails that were perfect for young kids. Being in such close proximity Mount Rainier makes me want to climb it more than ever now!

Big Four Ice Caves - July 10, 2011
Took the family on a summer snow trek into the Big Four Ice Caves. The Ice Caves are not even close to opening up. There is a significant amount of snow covering the snow field. Even so, it's well worth the short one mile trek in. The trail is in perfect condition. We easily pushed a stroller all the way to the glacier. My 3 and 6 year olds easily made the trek under their own power. If you find yourself in the greater Seattle area, visiting the Ice Caves is highly recommended!

Snowshoeing Boardman Lake Trail - March 26, 2011
With an 80% Chance of rain, our plan for the day was a quick trip into the Big Four Ice Caves. When we stopped in at the Verlot Ranger Station for our parking pass, we found out the Mountain Loop Highway was closed at the Red Bridge Campground due to a washout. Not wanting to waste a trip, we decided to see if we could find some snow up the Boardman Lake road. We hit snow .9 miles up, and after a short walk though patchy snow we were able to put on the snowshoes. We snowshoed up the road 2 miles to where the road cuts off to Ashland and Pinnacle lakes.

Hangover Run 2011 - 01-01-2011
Once again we started out the new year snow wheeling. Today was a beautiful day in the North Cascade Mountains. The snow was some brutal surgar snow. Even with our tires aired down to 2 PSI, it was difficult to stay on top of the snow. We called it a day a few hundred feet in elevation from the summit. Looking forward to some fresh snow in 2011!

Snow Wheeling near Jacks Pass, WA - 12-29-2010
Our last snow wheeling trip of 2010 took us out by Jacks Pass, WA. We hit one of the spur roads and climbed to about 4,000 feet. The snow was a bit old with a crust on top. It was a little slow at times, but we maintained steady progress. Good end to 2010. See you in 2011!

More November Snow Wheeling - 11-27-2010
Got another snow wheeling trip in. A week later, there was much more snow. No sign of our tracks from last week. When our progress became too slow, we put on the snowshoes and forged ahead. The first major snow drift had really build up. It would be difficult for us to get through this section of road without a lot of work. Look forward to going back soon!

Snow Wheeling and Snowshoeing - 11-20-2010
First real snow wheeing trip of the season. So far we're off to a great start. Conditions today were perfect! Little to no wind. Several feet fresh snow. I finally got to try out my showshoes that I got for christmas last years. After the lack of snow last winter, today was the perfect day to kick off the snow wheeling season.

Hangover Run 2010 - 01-01-10
Brought in another year 4 wheeling in the snow. What a difference a year makes. On this day last year we were buried under massive amounts of snow. This year the mountain reminded us who was in charge. High winds and sideways rain. The roads were a couple inches of slush on top of solid ice. We stopped at a nasty side hill. There just wasn't any pay off to pushing forward. Of course we still had fun. Looking forward to next year!

Iron Mountain Snowtrek - 12-19-2009

The snow gods have not been kind to us this winter. We haven't recieved any significant snow accumulation since the last time we went out a month ago. There was still quite a bit of snow near the top of the mountain. We were able to explore one of the roads normally not accessible because of a massive snow drift that forms every year.

Iron Mountain Snow Wheelin
11-21-09
First snow wheelin trip of the season. Quite a bit of snow for this time of year. We got to break trail all the way to the top of Iron Mountain. Elevation ~4,300 feet. We really had to work at that last 500 feet to the summit. Had the mountain to ourselves except for a couple snowmobiles and snowboarder. Check out the videos on the snowtube page.

Hangover Run 2009
01-01-09
I bring in every New Year wheelin in the snow. The snow was crazy deep. We didn't even make it half way up the mountain, much less the play area up top! Unfortunately the snow level was rising faster than we were, so we were stuck in the rain most the day. When we quit, the snow was so deep that the road almost didn't exist anymore, just one big sidehill that sucks you down.

Snow Run!
12-14-08
It's been a couple years, but I'm back in the saddle again. This time in my 1970 Bronco. This is the first real wheelin trip since I got it back on the road. Nothing like a snow run to break it in. The fuel injection is sooo nice at higher elevations, much more power! Beautiful day in the Pacific Northwest!

Hangover Run 2008
1-01-08
Well I missed another year. My Bronco just isn't quite ready yet. EBSTEVE was kind enough to offer me a seat for the day. Breaking trail was slow. Lots of down trees, and the snow was heavy, wet and melting fast. Just when the snow was starting to change for the better, EBSTEVE popped a front axle and that was the end of that. Of course the worst day snow wheelin will always be better than staying home....at least in my book.