At last! The weekend’s weather looked promising. So the pups and I went up to Miller Peak in Teanaway. We’ve spent the past three weekends in Eastern Washington. But it was starting to get old.
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Miller Peak at a Glance
Access: Miller Creek Trailhead
Round Trip: 8 miles
Elevation Range: 3200′-6402′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Miller Peak
It was the pups’ first time on Miller Peak. Before my first time here, I had read about the Road 9703 closure at Standup Creek. So I brought my bike to ride to the trailhead.
But back then, the weather was terrible. And by the time I reached the top, clouds had socked in the area. Glad we came back when the weather was decent.
See more trip photos here.
Miller Creek Trail
The Teanaway Backcountry is a popular place for hikers and climbers. I had expected to see lots of people when we arrived before 10 AM. But it was surprising not to see any cars.
The first mile of the trail was pretty flat. So we only gained about 450′. During which, we crossed Miller Creek several times. I lost count of the number of down trees in the basin, but they were all easy to get around.
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The Final Stretch
The trail steepened once we reached the top of the basin. Then the path made its way up to the southwest ridge. From there, we could still follow it a short distance past the saddle.
Later snow appeared at 5400′, and soon the trail disappeared. So that’s when we made our way up on the ridge. Then we stayed on the ridgeline and went up to the summit.
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Miller Peak Summit
It was a windy summit. But it wasn’t unbearable. We sometimes sat on the east of the rocks to avoid the wind. Though, the rolling clouds obscured peaks like Mount Stuart that I had wanted to see.
Later the sun shone through the dissipating clouds. Then the nearby peaks looked spectacular under the sunrays. Sadly, the mighty Three Brothers obstructed the parts of the Stuart Range.
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Outro
It didn’t look like anyone else would be up here today. So we spent over an hour at the top and enjoyed the solitude. Later we left the summit as the pups started to become impatient.