It was a slow workday, and I was hoping to do a unique after work hike despite the questionable weather forecast, so I drove over to Cle Elum midday. After some semi-productive time leeching off the Wi-Fi at the Starbucks in the Cle Elum Safeway, I cut out a bit early and drove up the Salmon La Sac road. My goal was Hawkins Mountain – a 7000 ft+ peak located in between the Cascade Crest and the Stuart Range. On clear days it promised good views in all directions.
I left the main road (which was in great condition) and turned onto the Camp Creek Road, which was short, steep, and filled with pointy rocks. Thankfully I made it to the trailhead without a flat tire.
The first bit of trail was easy, but that changed when I reached a bootpath that branched off to the left toward Hawkins, switchbacking straight up hill. After some steep climbing, the trail hung a right and began following a ridgeline.
The grade eventually lessened as I followed the ridgeline, and the trees began to thin, which allowed for some nice views. There was one section of completely bare dirt and rock at a natural gap (where you can head over to Gallagher Head Lake). I’m guessing there is just too much wind at that spot for anything to grow.
Beyond this point, the bootpath steepened again for the final 600 feet to the summit. It was all class 2, with some minor route-finding needing to be done. I never once stepped on any snow and reached the summit an hour and 35 minutes after leaving my car. The views from the summit were great despite the clouds and isolated showers. Hawkins seemed to be in a nice pocket of partly sunny weather, while the rest of the Cascades to the north and west were getting some rain showers. I particularly liked the view of Stuart from that angle, as well as the deep Cle Elum River valley toward Mount Daniel.
Despite the relatively decent weather above me, I felt like it was prudent to get moving pretty quickly, and scrapped my tentative plans for Esmerelda Peak. Sure enough, as I was off the steepest part of the mountain and back to the weirdly barren ridge line, the wind started to pick up and dark clouds were rolling in. Next thing I knew, I was in a fairly heavy rain squall and could hear some thunder approaching. Thankfully I got to tree cover quickly and was able to scamper back down without any lightning danger, but did get pretty wet in the process. It was a good reminder how quickly the weather can change in the mountains!
Overall, this was a great little trip and has me inspired to come back for more of the peaks in the area. My car-to-car time was 2 hours and 58 minutes and I saw no other people the entire time.
Final Stats: 6.54 miles / 3578 feet of ascent
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