My beloved Canon Rebel finally bid its farewell on Hawkins Mountain. It captured our fondest memories for many years. I’ve used the camera for the bulk of our photos. So we’ll miss it greatly.
See more trip photos here.
Hawkins Mountain at a Glance
Access: Road 4330-138
Round Trip: 6 miles
Elevation Range: 3320′-7160′
Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Hawkins Mountain
It was our second trip up the mountain. Though, this time, we went up through the west ridge instead. But not before we first scrambled up the western slopes.
Our first trip up the mountain was back in the fall of 2011. Back then, I didn’t know about the scenic route. So we took the trail north of Camp Creek. In turn, we spent most of our time in the basin.
See more trip photos here.
Southwest Ridge
Snow first appeared in the open forest at 4600′. But it was still firm, so I didn’t need snowshoes yet. So far, views mostly comprised Goat Mountain and the Cle Elum River Valley.
South of the crest, from 5400′ to 6400′, the snow had mostly melted. So we were able to hike on the dry parts of the summer trail. The sun came out as we moved east on the ridge.
See more trip photos here.
The Final Stretch
Later the ridgeline veered north. There we slowly moved to the left. So we could bypass cornices to the right of the crest. Then we climbed the final 200′ of steep terrain to reach the south saddle.
There was still lots of snow lingering on the east face. But we were able to bypass it by staying on the crest. Soon, we were standing atop the misty summit.
See more trip photos here.
Hawkins Mountain Summit
The sun had vanished a while ago. Later the dark clouds up north drifted south and spread across the whole area. But I got a glimpse of Mount Stuart earlier before it turned misty.
I had hoped to see Mount Daniel and Mount Hinman, but that never happened. However, the weather to the south and southeast was still decent.
See more trip photos here.
Outro
Later sprinkles slowly turned into rain. So we couldn’t spend much time on top even if we wanted. But talk about timing. The camera died right after a few shots of our summit selfies.
RIP Canon Rebel T4i – 2012/12/25 – 2018/5/19