Green Mountain via Gold Creek Trail

Wow!!  What a day.  It was phenomenal.

We started on the trail at about 9:15am.  It was cold and overcast, just yuckie really.  I had on my wool socks and hiking boots, a pair of capris (in case I got hot) under sweat pants, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie and gloves.

My day pack was bursting at the seems- both our jackets, 2 32 ounce water bottles full of water, 2 zip locks of trail mix and toilette paper (just in case).  I also had a compass on a lanyard, my phone in my pocket and my camera attached to my chest strap.

My super cute day pack filled to capcity

Leonard carried a little fannie pack with a first aid kit, flashlights, his phone, a map, a pocket knife (with a fire starter) and 2 16 ounce water bottles full of water.  I think we were pretty well prepared.

Right off the bat we came to a little bridge that had water rushing under it.  It was so pretty and I just love the sound of rushing water.

Water under the Bridge

This trail allows all sorts of people to enjoy it.  And we saw it all too (well almost).  There were horses, lots of hikers and mountain bikers.  Motor bikes are also allowed on this trail.  I didn't think to snap a picture of this guy on his horse until he'd already passed by.  He had a sweet dog with him too.  Dogs are allowed off leash here.  Sure made me want a big dog.

Cutie on a horse

A little further down the trail was more rushing water, but it sounded BIG, like a water fall!  I couldn't get close enough Leonard wouldn't let me it was too dangerous.  But Leonard went down to the water fall and took some pictures for me.  Isn't he sweet?

I LOVE water falls

Next up was another little bridge.  And more water.  There was a LOT of water in, on and around this trail.

Leonard crossing the 2nd bridge

More Water under the Bridge

Continuing on we came to a fork in the road.  Going forward led to who knows where (some sort of road, I think) and going left kept us on track.  I'm not really sure how this could be a road though, there's a pretty big gap there...

GM6 (whatever that means)

Oh you'll love this... I'm not sure what the deal is with the pattern on this leaf, but this is exactly how we found it, completely untouched.  We saw it on the way back and another one just like it a little further down.  Had I seen BOTH on the way up I probably would have considered it a sign LOL.  Leonard said it looked like a Tiki Mask.

Tiki Mask Leaf

This trail was a pretty good climb for me.  It was only an elevation gain of 1000 feet, but that seemed straight up.  I had to stop several times to try to catch my breath.  And it didn't take me long to loosen that chest strap.  I was a hurtin' puppy.  My chest felt trapped and I didn't feel like I could get a viable breath in.  It eased up after I released the strap though.  It definitely made the pack flop a little but it was SO worth it.  Breathing is really good.  I was actually kind of glad that Leonard went on with out me a little bit.  He never got out of shouting range, if he couldn't see me he would call to me and as long as I called back he was fine.  I hate feeling like I'm keeping some one from hiking at their own pace.  He's really good at not making me feel that way, I just bring it on myself.  There were several time where I had to remind myself that it was just walking, just putting 1 foot in front of the other, I do it all the time.  And there were MANY times Leonard asked me if I wanted to go back.  No way in hell I was quitting.

Straight up hill, water rushing down the trail and all

At one point we saw a spot where power lines came down out of seemingly nothing.  There was a bench there and we stopped for a few minutes.  Leonard said we were back in civilization because there were power lines LOL.  I suggested we Zip Line down and see where it goes.  He thinks I'm insane.

Can you see the power lines on the left side?

The vista couldn't come soon enough.  I was tripping over my own feet, couldn't breathe and the rocks were causing me to stumble.  Leonard called it the "damn woods" a few times and continually told me that "this blows" every time we rounded a corner and didn't come to the vista.  It was kind of funny.  I was having a rough time, but so was he.  That made me feel a little better.  And then finally... there it was!

This is a sign at the edge of the parking lot (yes you can actually drive here)

There was a parking area that is accessed from a side road open Spring, Summer and Fall, a place to hitch your horses, a picnic table and a privy.  On the way up I got to explain to Leonard what a privy is.  Heeeheee, I knew something he didn't.

Stinky privy and picnic table (why are they so close?)

But this wasn't the sweet spot.  The view point is another ten thousand miles away.  Okay, maybe it just felt that way.  We were tired.  I kept thinking- I came here to hike the Gold Creek Trail, I've done that, I don't care about the view!  But I didn't actually speak any of those words.  Onward and upward!

Sign leading up to the view point

It was not the best of days so we couldn't see far when we got there but I did manage to capture a decent panorama with my phone.  I LOVE that feature.  My regular camera has a panorama option as well but it's not as smooth and easy as my phone.

On a clear day you can see Seattle.  Not today.

And I've decided to start a tradition.  A signature photo...

My tired feet at the top

At the top we sat at one of the many picnic tables and ate some trail mix, talked about the hike, drank a bunch of water and enjoyed a little sunshine.  The return trip was super easy and only took about an hour and 15 minutes..  It was all down hill LOL.  I didn't have any big problems going down.  My feet hurt from stepping on so many rocks and my toes on my right foot really hurt, but that's from a non related issue.  I did find a little bit of "trail love" along the way.

Heart shaped rock

The entire round trip took about 3.5 hours.  Which was pretty good.  The guide book said 3 hours and rated it as moderate difficulty.  I figured that as out of shape as I was it would be a good 4 hour hike.  I think we can improve, but for a first hike I'm pretty happy.

But what made me even more happy was to get home, get out of those sweaty wet clothes, take a steamy hot shower and put on clean clothes.  Nope, I'm not a thru hiker just yet... LOL.