Beckler Peak

June 4, 2016

Near the summit of Steven's Pass, just outside the small town of Skykomish, stands Beckler Peak, a 5,000 foot tall hunk of white granite and quartz. The summit is reached via the Jennifer Dunn Trail, which was opened in 2011. I hiked this trail for the first time with my sister last year, and the view from the summit was astounding. I have excitedly waited for it to come up on this year's schedule so I could return.

The trail itself isn't difficult if you are in reasonable condition. It starts out on an old logging road, which is slowly being repossessed by the surrounding vegetation. From there it climbs steadily upward, taking you through a young forest to a beautiful old-growth forest. Along the way you are treated to incredible views of the surrounding peaks. When you reach an awesome set of rock steps, you are close to a view that will likely take your breath away. From here you can gaze across the recently created Wild Sky Wilderness area to Glacier Peak. We stopped here for a few moments to take it all in, then proceeded the last half mile to the summit. 

Once at the summit, the wow factor hits you full force. You are surrounded by the Monte Cristo range, Johnson Ridge, Mounts Index and Baring (as well as others too numerous to name here), Glacier Peak and, off in the distance, Mount Baker. For our trip, we were blessed with sunshine and mostly clear skies, making for even nicer views - we could almost see forever. We ate a quick lunch at the summit - partly because the sun was scorching us, and partly because it's a small patch of real estate and almost 2 dozen hikers, some with dogs, joined us up there. For safety's sake, we gave up our spots and headed back down. 

Photos just can't do the view justice... (photo by Holly Scheyer)

Andrea, Holly, Me, Zillah, Tony

The trip itself was very enjoyable. My body's performance, however, was disappointing and frustrating. I found myself plagued by the old issues of pain in my right knee, hip & hip flexor. I started out feeling drained and continued up the trail exhausted. After 18 months of hiking pretty much every weekend, I would expect to be building lean, strong muscles. Instead, my body is storing increasing amounts of fat (yuck!) and seemingly growing weaker. How can I possibly expect to make another successful summit of Mt St Helens? I am reviewing my diet and mid-week conditioning to see where I can make changes. I have too many adventures ahead to let my body get in the way.

Zillah & I - Beckler Peak Summit

Hike 26:52 Half way through my challenge!!

Distance: 7.4 miles
Elevation gain: 2,263'

Max Elevation Achieved: 5,063'