Snow, Not According to Plan

Today I had hoped to explore Franklin Falls https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/franklin-falls by Snoquamie Pass with Jake.  However, since he & Andy were having such a fun morning, Jake wasn't interested in an adventure until the afternoon.

Since it's not too far away, I thought we'd give it a try, even though we didn't leave until close to 1:00 PM.  It ended up being too late.  By the time we reached North Bend, we needed to stop for a potty break.  Wanting to avoid fast food joints, I pulled into the Outlet Mall parking lot so we could use facilities there.  The other day, we had talked about how higher elevations usually receive snow before lower elevations.  Right from the parking lot we had a great view of the phenomenon in action.  What a nice way to start out our adventure!

When we got near Exit 47 on I-90, we could see snow above us, but the foliage around us still looked pretty green.  I wasn't certain that there'd even be patches of snow at the trail and since we were all bundled up, I decided to keep on trucking up to the Hyak exit 54.  When I had checked out the Hyak Sledding Hill http://dotsonstories.blogspot.com/2014/12/ready-for-sledding-all-we-need-is-snow.html a couple of weeks ago, I saw a sign for Gold Creek https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/gold-creek-2.  After checking it out on the WTA site, it looked interesting & I added it to my list.  It seems like it might be another place that could be fun when there's a light dusting of snow but before it's deep enough to require snowshoes.

When we pulled up to the Gold Creek entrance on the north side of I-90, I saw the sign saying that Snow Park Passes are required.

I have an annual Discover Pass & had printed out a Forest Service Pass but didn't have a Snow Park Pass on hand.  We could have crossed the freeway & printed one out at the Hyak Sledding Hill.  However, since it was getting late & I hadn't really scoped out Gold Creek ahead of time, I decided to return back to Exit 47 & check out Franklin Falls as planned. 

 

 

 

 

 

At least the roads were clear and the trip was scenic!

 

 

As I drove the road towards Franklin Falls, I realized two unfortunate things.  First of all, the road had some real ice patches.  Although I have studded tires, I'm a cautious driver and don't like driving in bad conditions if I don't have to, and I really didn't need to check out this trail today. 

Secondly, only then did I remember that one of my headlights went out yesterday.  With the trees closely lining either side of the road and the trail being between the I-90 corridor valley, I thought there was a good chance I would need headlights on the 45 minute trek home.


So, avoiding the ice & headlight risks, I decided to turn back even before making it to the trailhead.

However, even when adventures don't go as planned, there's always some way to have fun.  After turning around on a pretty slippery patch of ice, I found a safe & wide stretch of road.  I pulled over near the Denny Creek Campground so we could get out & play in the snow.  After getting pelted with a sharp ice-ball I nixed the idea of a snowball fight for today; there will be plenty of more opportunities this season, I'm sure.

Jake stomped around in the crunchy ice shell coating the ground and had fun looking at his breath as it steamed the air in front of him.

Hopefully we'll check out Franklin Falls and Gold Creek Pond another day, but since we still got to go out on a little adventure, check out a new road, see a new bridge, play in some snow, and see a spectacular sunset when arriving back to Duvall, I'll this day a win.  :)