World Abounding: The CCC Trail and Green Mountain

Beyond Mt. Si, beyond Dixie and Teneriffe, the next named peak on the north side of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River is Green Mountain. From North Bend I took Mt. Si Road to its end, beyond the Teneriffe trailhead at the school bus turnaround. I ignored the specious "private property" signs and continued up the hill another mile, keeping to the right at the Ys, and finally to the big blue gate and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Trail. I stepped onto the trail at 6 a.m. and in a couple miles, at a rusted old gate, I left the CCC Trail and headed uphill on the Green Mountain Trail. I eventually passed what I thought must be the summit trail, and continued to the Last Promontory viewpoint, then to the Absolute Last Promontory. From there the trail quickly degraded and within another quarter-mile was an impassable mess of berry vines and fallen trees. I returned to the presumed summit intersection and climbed steeply by a fairly well-used but poorly-maintained trail along an old logging road. At the road's end I lost the trail and before long my interest in trying to find my way to the summit. I turned around, had a pleasant lunch at a beautiful overlook, and came the rest of the way back down, getting to the car at 1:45 p.m. And I never saw another soul.

Last year's growth and this year's.

Ironmongery, the lock box for the abandoned gate that marks the beginning of the Green Mountain Trail.

First sunlight creeping into the valleys.

The strange things one finds in the woods...

Camouflage.

Terrific views of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River valley.

Middle Fork, flowing downstream to the right. Mailbox Peak sloping down to divide the river, and the South Fork behind, along which flows I-90 from Seattle up to the pass. This view from Last Promontory.