Putrid Pete's Peak - West Defiance

Our Hiking Time: 4h 15m
Total Ascent: 3000ft
Highest Point: 5220ft
Total Distance: 5 miles
Location: N 47° 26.3580, W 121° 35.1960
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Hard

It was a good day for a summit. With snow levels receding, we hunted around for a low level peak to tackle. We quickly found an appealing subpeak near Mt. Defiance along a ridgeline sometimes referred to as Banana Ridge. Light on distance and heavy on elevation, we set out for a hard slog up Putrid Pete’s Peak.

This little bump was named in honor of Pete Schoening, a Seattle-area mountaineer and outdoorsman who is most famous for his belay on K2 on August 10th, 1953. On that day, Schoening managed to arrest the fall of all five members of his climbing party with nothing more than an ice axe, stopping them from plunging down the slopes of K2. In the mountaineering community, the event is legendary and is simply known as “The Belay.” Schoening passed away in 2004, though it seems that Putrid Pete’s Peak was christened sometime before his death by his friends Tom Hornbein and Bill Sumner. We couldn't find a reference to Putrid Pete before 2001, which means they probably placed the registry at the summit around that time. Many thanks to the Schoening's family for helping us piece this story together.

There is some confusion on the names of various points in this area. As far as we can tell, Banana Ridge runs northwest from the top of Mt. Defiance to another peak known both as West Defiance and Web Mountain. Putrid Pete’s Peak, or P3, lies between the two ends of the ridge, and a few sources dub it Middle Defiance before 2001.

The trail begins along the Ira Spring Trail #1039 following an abandoned roadbed for just over a tenth of a mile. When the official trail hits its first switchback up the mountain, ignore it and continue straight into the trees, following a faint boot path. The trail is unmarked and unofficial, though well maintained and easily followed once you’re on it. Avoid the paths that branch to the left and lead down the mountain. Some of these trails lead to Dirty Harry’s Peak and others snake down to I-90. Continue onward, upward, and always to the right, eventually breaking free of the trees and into rocky meadows of bear grass and, later in the season, wildflowers. As you leave the trees, the path becomes patchy and sometimes disappears; keep heading up and you’ll soon find yourself on a minor ridge leading directly to your destination.

Clamber up the pile of rocks at the top and peer carefully over the edge; there’s quite a drop down into the bowl that cups Spider Lake. Look west toward West Defiance/Web Mountain, Mt. Washington, and Dirty Harry’s Balcony just above I-90 as it disappears into the lowlands. To the north the peaks of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness spread out – on good days you can pick out Adams, Baker and Glacier. The view to the east is dominated by Mt. Defiance with Bandera Mountain close behind. And directly across the valley sits the unmistakable horn of McClellan Butte and its neighbors to the east, Mt. Kent followed by Mt. Gardner.

Short and steep, this hike is a workout. The trail builders were much more interested in expedience than preserving your knees for posterity. You’ll want to bring along some poles, especially for the descent, which can be tricky: many of the rocks are loose, and it is easy to send boulders careening down the slopes. We slipped and lost our footing more than once on the uneven ground. You’re unlikely to find a great deal of company on this little known route, but it affords many of the same views as other, more popular trails nearby. If you’re short on time and are up for the challenge, visit Putrid Pete’s Peak and be sure to sign the registry!

To get there, take I-90 to Exit 45, going left under the freeway to Forest Road 9030. Follow FR 9030 for about a mile until the road splits. Veer left onto FR 9031 and follow it for two more miles until the road terminates in a parking lot. – Nathan

Heybrook Lookout Trail #1070

Our Hiking Time: 1h 20mins
Total Ascent: 880ft
Highest Point: 1700ft
Total Distance: 2 miles
Location: N 47° 48.6299, W 121° 31.5180
Required Permit: Northwest Forest Pass
Difficulty: Easy

Always have a backup. Road closures and misinformation eventually forced us to abandon our planned hike this week along with a sizeable chunk of the morning. Finding ourselves suddenly short on time, we fell back to Heybrook Lookout, a short jaunt we were saving for just such an emergency.

Heybrook Lookout Trail #1070 is a just shy of a mile but gains roughly 800’ though second-generation forest still recovering from a clearcut in the 1920’s. A lookout was first placed here in 1925, and by 1932 a 45’ tower was erected. That tower stood until replaced by a larger tower in 1964. The current lookout was built in the late 1990’s, stands 73’ tall, and offers some excellent views of Mount Baring, Mount Persis, Mount Index, and Bridal Veil Falls.

Though it’s probably a little too short to warrant the drive out in and of itself, Heybrook makes an excellent side trip on the way to the slopes or in conjunction with another short hike. On the other hand, this is a great hike to bring those non-hiking friends on – quick and easy rewards just off the highway may pave the way for future outings. Best of luck and enjoy the views!

To get there, take Highway 2 just past milepost 37, shortly after the Index turnoff. Parking for the trailhead is a widened gravel shoulder on the north side of the highway. - Nathan

Green Mountain's New Approach

It’s not every day that we stumble onto something that isn’t in any of the guidebooks, so we wanted to take a second to share it. A few weeks ago, we doggedly made our way to Green Mountain via the CCC Road – a path that is both too long and very boring. We enjoyed the hike up the mountain, but not the approach to the trailhead, so we resolved to do some snooping around. After consulting a few maps and hearing some rumors of hikers attempting to find a more direct route to the trailhead, we resolved to investigate and do some bushwhacking.

As luck would have it, we didn’t need to do any bushwhacking at all. To our surprise, a path had already been blazed and we followed it up from FR 56 to the CCC Road just a few hundred feet from the Green Mountain Trail head. This approach shaves five miles off the Green Mountain Hike and makes it a much more attractive and rewarding hike.

Although a bit on the narrow side, the trail is well-made and should not pose much of a problem for most hikers. There are a few streams to cross as you make your way past the alders and into the hemlocks, all of which is worlds better than tromping down a forest road. The trail's sharp elevation gains are tempered with stretches that follow the remnants of old logging roadbeds. All in all, it's a great little trail.

Our original route looked like this:


This is the more direct approach that we’re now recommending:


Green Mountain is a good workout, has some great views, and does not currently attract many hikers. If you’re looking for something a little different, this is a great hike to put on the list. Enjoy the hike!

To get there, take I-90 to exit 34 and take a left onto 468th Ave. Follow the road past the truck stop for about a half-mile until you reach SE Middle Fork Road, also known as Forest Road 56. The road has a few twists and turns, but continue on until the asphalt ends at Mailbox Peak Trailhead. Press on just over five miles to a large concrete bridge spanning the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. Look for an unmarked trail heading downstream just past the bridge on the north side of the river. No real parking available, though the shoulder is a bit wider on the south side of the bridge. -Nathan