Mt Hansen

Geoff and I have wanted to try hiking a peak where there was no marked trail. So we were trying to determine the best location for this new adventure when I came upon an on-line posting of a hike of Mt Hansen and it seemed to fit the bill quite nicely. The distance was not too long nor the elevation gain too great and the terrain not too steep. I wasn’t sure we would find a good fit but we eventually did and so we planned for the trek later in the season to reduce the chance of heavy snow patches getting in the way.p/> Our day started with Geoff’s arrival at my place at 6:30AM, we quickly finished loading up and were soon on the way to of course the closest Starbucks on our route. Once loaded down with coffee we made another unplanned stop to buy a hat for Geoff who had forgotten his at home. The day was expected to be a hot one and a hat was essential. We then set off for the start of the forestry roads and our initial ascent to the ridge line. According to the maps the roads lead right up to the ridge and would give us an easier start. Our starting point was the Sowerby FSR which branches from the main Silver-Skagit road just before the start of the Silver Lake campsite. The road was rough in places but also very smooth and easy for long stretches. 

As we gained elevation we eventually came to the expected fork and there we saw a washout that was almost blocking the road. Someone had done clearing of the boulders which was fortunate for us. Once past the rocks we made good time to the ridge line but here the road continued on and we decided to follow it to the end. It continued along the ridge but 60+ meters below it. Once at the end we had to decide whether we would park here and climb to the ridge or back-track to where the road crossed it. We decided the gain in distance was worth more than the short climb back up. So we parked the truck and set up the cross-band radio. The location was proving to be difficult for us to reach the Sumas Mountain repeater but after erecting our larger antenna we had a reasonable connection. 

So with the radio in place we started up the bank to the ridge. This short climb went easily and we soon found ourselves on the ridge. Geoff tied a ribbon to a tree for a return reference and we were off to the peaks. The ridge was forested but the trees were widely spaced and our travel was quite easy for most of it. We slowly gained elevation and as we did the trees thinned. At some point I brushed against some trees and knocked off my lens hood. I didn’t notice it for a while and by then we couldn’t even be sure we were looking in the right location for it. So I had to make do with no lens hood for my photos taking.

By now the day was heating up and I was slowing down but we continued south along the ridge and soon came to a rise before the major sub-peak of the mountain. Here we took a longer rest and tried to determine how to proceed. Continuing along the ridge looked steep and so we felt it was time to skirt the peak for the next ridge which ran between the two main summits. This decision we learned after our way back was not optimal as it caused us to drift down quite some ways to get passed some rock walls and loose gravel patches. As we continued forward I was rapidly losing stamina and had to rest frequently in the heat. Eventually we made it around the slope to the point just below the lowest point of the second ridge. After a fierce struggle to get up this last climb I was able to rest and start preparing some lunch. I had also used up most of my water, so we also had to melt some snow to replenish our supplies. The path we had taken to get here had seen us traverse a variety of ground types – rock talus, loose sand, snow packs and heather fields. It was fun but the steepness made it slippery and slow going. For the final bit up the snow I put on my crampons and did better.