12-06-18
Thursday
and time for another mid
week headlamp hike. I met Gary, John, and David at the High Point exit
off I-90 just east of Issaquah at 3:30 pm. We were all there and on our
way by 3:48 pm. We did this same trip two weeks short of six years ago.
That infamous trip was among the wettest and coldest ever. Easily the
worst after work winter hike we have done. It was 32.2 degrees at the
Christmas Tree with falling sleet. On the way back the snow on the
ground turned to mushy slush. We were all soaked for the whole trip
back. This day was cold and clear. On my drive over it was 46 degrees
at Eastgate and 33 degrees where we started. The temperature dropped 13
degrees in 9 miles over 9 minutes. The road was frozen white and the
grass was frozen white. It was very cold at the start.
We were not surprised to see a total of zero people on this hike. Even with our early start we would only have one hour before headlamps came out. Gary's trip log shows that we first noticed the Christmas Tree on 4-09-00, more than 18 1/2 years ago. It is not on a major hiking route though not hidden either. A number of other decorated trees have appeared the past half a dozen years. The original is the only one I look forward to seeing. Our route was pretty easy though we did get in a little over 2000' of elevation gain. We arrived at the tree at about 5:40 pm. A little decorating occurred and Gary brought Christmas music along. It was still cold though I think it was no colder than well before dark at the parking spot.
The trip back was straight forward. A whole lot more fun than six years earlier when we had nothing dry from head to toes. It was a fun trip. We spent a full half hour at the tree. I don't go there often but I enjoy stopping by around Christmas.
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Trips - 2018
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We were not surprised to see a total of zero people on this hike. Even with our early start we would only have one hour before headlamps came out. Gary's trip log shows that we first noticed the Christmas Tree on 4-09-00, more than 18 1/2 years ago. It is not on a major hiking route though not hidden either. A number of other decorated trees have appeared the past half a dozen years. The original is the only one I look forward to seeing. Our route was pretty easy though we did get in a little over 2000' of elevation gain. We arrived at the tree at about 5:40 pm. A little decorating occurred and Gary brought Christmas music along. It was still cold though I think it was no colder than well before dark at the parking spot.
The trip back was straight forward. A whole lot more fun than six years earlier when we had nothing dry from head to toes. It was a fun trip. We spent a full half hour at the tree. I don't go there often but I enjoy stopping by around Christmas.
 Icy Road |
 Gary At Start |
 Icy Grass |
 David At Tree |
 Ornaments |
 Vertical Shot |
 Last Tree Shot |
 The Guys At The Tree |
Trips - 2018
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