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Esmeralda Peaks
August, 2002 |
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The Boulder Deroux Creek trail to Esmeralda Peaks isn't one of the better hiking trails in the Cascades. Being open to horses, bicycles, and even motorcycles makes it less than desirable to most hikers. However, in spite of its detractions, I still enjoy meandering up its slightly too steep switchbacks and stepping my way around the horse droppings. It reminds me of the summer of 1978 when, as a member of the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), I hiked up this trail for the first time. That summer, the YCC was tasked to extend the trail from the valley below Esmeralda Peaks to Gallagher Head Lake. Since then, every time I hike that particular portion of the trail, I recall each swing of the pick, each bite if the shovel, each large boulder dug and pushed out of the way, and many other details of the work we did that summer. I also recall memories of the week-long camps in the valley, the meals, the weather, and the leisure- time explorations of the surrounding area.
On one such exploration I climbed to the summit of Esmeralda Peak. This climb is not technically difficult. It is essentially a scramble up several boulder fields of varying slope. As I recall, the climb barely broke a sweat and had little effect on the heart rate. And, in exchange for minimal effort, I was rewarded with magnificent views. Based on this recollection, I suggested that 2DrX Explorations hike the Boulder Deroux Creek trail, conquer the summit of Esmeralda Peak, and then explore the mining remains around the base of Gallagher Head.
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At 7:00 am, we met at the Issaquah park-and-ride lot, piled our gear into the Ford Ranger 4x4, and headed over Snoqualmie Pass toward Teanaway Valley. The musical choices on the way consisted of Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, and (speaking of reminiscing) Deep Purple. It is amazing to us now that so many teenagers of the '70's (us included) could hold in such high regard a song as simplistic and meaningless as "Smoke on the Water". What was it about this drivel that was so captivating of the teenage mind? By the time we arrived at the Boulder Deroux Creek trailhead, the Deep Purple CD had repeated a number of times, and yet we still were unable to answer the question.
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The hike up the trail was fairly easy, just as I remember it being 24 years ago. Though not severe, there were some pesky mosquitoes, flies, and other bugs - another detail of the trail that has not changed in 24 years. Of course, my negative comments about the bugs brought derisive cries of "WIMP!" from the other 2DrX member. After four quick miles, we found ourselves on the portion of the trail that I consider my own, since I helped build it as a member of YCC. I am sure that any reasonable hiker will agree that this portion of the trail is of far superior construction than the rest of the trail. The only exception may be the short section at the beginning of the upper valley that has been obliterated by debris from a sizeable snow slide.
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A few yards after passing the "house-sized boulder" (that is how other references describe it), we turned off the trail and headed up the slopes of Esmeralda Peak. We soon broke out into the open and surveyed our route ahead. I was relishing the thoughts of zipping right up this mountain as I recall doing before. It was now about 11:30 a.m. and the sun was directly overhead. There were no clouds and very little breeze. Temperatures were surpassing the 90- degree mark. This was turning out to be one of the hottest days of the year. After gaining a few hundred feet of elevation, we used a lunch stop as an excuse to take a break from the stifling heat. I consumed a tasty sub sandwich in mere minutes as the other 2DrX member explained what "hummus" is - the concoction he was eating.
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With renewed fortitude, we resumed our ascent. After a lot of legwork, heavy breathing, and a couple of quarts of Gatorade apiece, we had made it about half way up. By this time I began to realize that this was not going to be as easy as I had remembered it. I thought about how this could be. I remembered that my climb of 24 years ago was done in the evening when it was cooler and with only a water bottle - no pack. Also, perhaps I had chosen an easier way before. Another thought that nagged at the back of my mind was that I had 16-year-old legs, heart, and lungs back then. Could it be that age is beginning to take its toll? I don't think so. That only happens when one gets old.
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We pushed upward over the steep rocky slopes and through the brush. We finally attained one of the summits of Esmeralda Peaks about mid afternoon. But it wasn't THE summit, so we backed down and traversed over to the summit to the northwest - the highest of the Esmeralda Peaks. Apparently, the snow had only recently melted from this summit as the mosquitoes, flies, and other pesky bugs were more numerous and ravenous here than at any previous point on our route. The other 2DrX member didn't seem to mind the bugs as he leisurely obtained GPS readings, took pictures, and dried his socks. Once again I had to endure cries of "WIMP!" as countless insects converged on my flesh like cops on a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. The other 2DrX member also wanted to take a moment to plant an American flag at the summit as an honorary gesture to those lost in the 9-11 attacks. That was worthy of a few more minutes among the vicious little blood suckers, but I assured him that if we didn't get off that summit soon, he could very well be toting my skeletal remains back home.
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Once the summit business was complete we headed down toward Gallagher Head Lake. Surprisingly, my flesh was still intact, but there were several gruesome welts on my arms and legs where the mosquitoes had attempted to gain entry to my veins. Between the bugs and the heat, I was less enthusiastic about exploring the mines as I had been at the start. However, we both knew that these opportunities are far too infrequent, so we determined to hike on toward the mines. As we pressed on, "Smoke on the Water" returned to mind. Thereafter, try as I might, I could not prevent this song from playing endlessly in my brain. Like the pesky insects, the song just wouldn't go away.
Soon we came to the lake. The surrounding beauty demanded a picture or two. We stopped, drank more Gatorade, took pictures, and bemoaned the all too obvious evidence of recent jeep and motorcycle traffic. Not for long though. The insect population at the lake resembled that of the summit.
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We followed the jeep road around to the first mine tailing pile. We have no documentation on these mines, so we arbitrarily named this mine "Gallagher #1". There is no adit here, only surface diggings. If there ever was an adit here, it has long since collapsed. We then walked down the jeep road to the next tailing pile - "Gallagher #2". As the other 2DrX member proceeded to venture up this tailing pile, I walked further along the jeep road and found evidence of a collapsed adit near a stream - "Gallagher #3". This adit is far too collapsed to offer any opportunity for entry. The only clues that it is an adit are the heavy timbers that still hold their form at what was once the entrance. I walked back to Gallagher #2 to describe my findings to the other 2DrX member. He also had found an interesting mine artifact at Gallagher #2 - a vertical shaft open at the surface. It was filled with water however, so we could only wonder at its depth.
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When we were on the Esmeralda summit we had looked down and seen what we think are other mining remains on the slopes of Gallagher Head besides the three that we explored. However, our stamina was waning with the afternoon sun. We decided we had best head down trail.
As we made our way back down "my" part of the trail, two guys on motorbikes that sounded like chain saws approached and passed us. Although I was pleased that "my" trail has withstood this kind of abuse all these years, I found the sight and sound of motorbikes in the wilderness very unpleasant. That seems like a cheap way to experience this country. To fully appreciate these miles, one must earn them on foot as we did! Besides, how could anyone tolerate leather motorcycle garb in that heat?
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After several more miles that seemed to be incredibly longer than on the way up,
we eventually made it back to the truck, offloaded our packs, consumed several
beverages, and headed for Issaquah. As we were leaving the trailhead parking
lot, I was strangely compelled to insert the Deep Purple CD into the player, and
skip directly to that timeless classic, "Smoke on the Water".
References:
- 75 Scrambles in Washington: Classic Routes to the Summits - Mountaineers. Information about Esmeralda Peaks.
- 100 Hikes in Washington's Alpine Lakes - Mountaineers. Gallagher Head Lake hike.
- Everett Mountaineers Scramble Report this report pretty much sums up the route to Esmeralda.
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