Siew Moi, Norm and I volunteered for a reconnaissance tour up to Three Fingers Lookout to assess snow damage it has sustained from last winter. This September, Everett Mountaineers will organize a work party to repair and maintain the lookout.
The turn from Mountain Loop highway to FS road #41 is a bit tricky to find, look for a left turn next to a electric line post with a large antenna atop of it. On the drive up the partially rough forest road we surprised a young pair of Black bear cubs crossing the road.
The hike to TFL is a bit longer right now as the forest road is blocked by a mudslide about 1.5mi before the trailhead. From the trail head of trail #641, the tread is a bit rough, plenty of roots and boulders, with some water running through the trail. We passed Saddle Lake which is pretty but currently quite inhospitable due to plenty of bugs. Shortly before Goat Flat, a Black bear mother and her 2 cubs were foraging a couple hundred yards from the trail. Eventually they picked up our scent and trolled their way.
After lunch at Goat Flat, we traversed along the southern flank to make our way into the basin leading up to Tin Can Gap. Crossing snow fields and following steep switchbacks we reached Tin Can Gap.
The last 1+ miles from Tin Can Gap to the lookout are more technical, with either rock climbing in the slightly mossy moats or traversing over steep snow fields. In a couple of weeks, the regular trail should be free of snow again, making this passage easier.
The final ascend to the lookout includes a straight up and reasonable snowfield (its top snow was also our closest water source), finished with a little scramble and a final 100ft climb up 3 ladders and installed ropes. The lookout is precariously and smugly placed right on top of one of the 3 fingers, with only little space to spare on 2 sides of it and vertical drops on its E and W sides. But the view from there is truly amazing, feels like top of the world!
We missed out on a colorful sunset, as the clouds over the Olympics closed in too much and covered up much of the sun. But the sunrise the next morning compensated: all fiery colors and a dramatic setting with fast moving clouds. We finished our damage assessment of the lookout and started our descend in a strong and gusty wind. The top snowfield cheated me out of glissading, the snow had gotten hard again over night and didn’t allow me to “ski” down.
On the crossing of the final snow field back to Tin Can Gap, it happened: even though I was properly geared up with my crampons and axe, while taking one more step, the ice under my stationary foot gave way and I slipped. The snow was too hard and rippled, so my ice axe wouldn’t dig in and I couldn’t arrest my fall down the ~40 degree steep ice field. I didn’t dare to fully dig in my crampons during my slide as I didn’t want to topple over and go down head first. So all I could do during my ~150ft slide is to keep myself feet-down first and brace for the impact on the rock band below (and no, my life did not flash past my eyes). On impact, my legs took up most of the fall energy, I bounced off the rock and ended up on my backpack in the moat. A bit shaken, I peeled myself off my pack and emerged out of the moat to wave my by now alarmed trail buddies atop that I’m fine. I collected my spilled gear, put on the one crampon that ripped of my boot, took a couple of deep breaths and started my climb back up the ice field. I progessed slowly, carefully kicking my way back up the ice, didn’t want to dare my fate twice. Overall I ended up lucky, just a couple shallow cuts on hands and legs, bruised shoulder and arm and a swollen knee. I was still able to hike out the remaining ~7miles out to the car on my own power.
Thank god the rest of the hike continued rather uneventful and we made it back to my truck just in time before the big rain started.
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- First peek to the lookout from Tin Can Gap
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- Arriving at the lookout. View is stunning, feels like top of the world.
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- The lookout is squeezed perilously on top of one of the fingers, with long vertical drops on 2 sides
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- Sunrise the next morning. Sky next to Glacier Peak is lit and on fire
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- Gentle morning sun glow on the lookout
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- But someone had to carry this iron up here…
More pictures:
Stats:
| Distance: | 17mi / 27.2km roundtrip |
| Elevation gain: | ~4200ft / 1260m |
| High point: | 6854ft / 2056m |
| Hiking time: | 8hrs up on Sat, 6:30 down on Sun |
| Weather: | Sunny on Sat; windy, cloudy on Sun, barely escaped the incoming rain |
Hikers:
Siew Moi, Norm, David
