Hello, hikers,

What a strange and unusual sighting! Lucie, of Lucie's Snohomish County Dyke Hikes fame, joined us for the Iron Goat Trail hike. We not only caught her in town today, but without other outdoor plans....nice to have you along. After meeting in Monroe, and setting plans for the car shuttle, Vanessa, Doreen, Lucie, and myself headed East to the Stevens Pass area to plant the first car. Raining quite heavily up toward the pass, I wondered what kind of weather we'd experience today. As we neared the pass area, the rain surprisingly turned to a light snow....how wonderful it was to see the white stuff falling. About an inch had fallen at the upper trail head, and we stopped briefly to transfer to the other vehicle, enjoying the stillness and serenity that accompanies the powder. Doreen alerts us to the fact that we'd all be involved in a funeral today, as she has brought along the ashes belonging to Junior, a friend's cat....another first for the group! Layering up and ready for the day, and having had the rain stop, we mosey up the converted rail trail........Snow sheds, and tunnels, and history, oh my! Vanessa, with GPS handy, can't wait to locate the three geocaches along the way, but quickly learns that two of the sets of coordinates are probably at points along the lower trail which we won't hike today...sorry, Vanessa. Trudging along, we take time to read the many signs posted along the way, each educating us with a bit of history of the abandoned rail road and the difficulties the workers had maintaining the tracks and route. Soon at the mid way mark, Windy Point, Doreen decides that this would be a suitable resting spot for Junior's ashes. After a brief but solemn ceremony, Junior's is thrown to the wind. "I hope you like the view from here", I say. Lucie notes that the box carrying the cat's ashes is a bit nicer that the one her Dad was in...poor Dad to have to play second fiddle to a cat's ash box. Now on to our next business for the day...let's eat lunch! Although an open area, there were no views for us to enjoy on this cloudy day, but we did enjoy our food, hot beverages, and of course, plenty of conversation. We did see the ever busy HWY 2 below us, and then heard a train exiting a tunnel below...the new railway taking the place of the Iron Goat and it's tracks. Having the wind and cool temperatures to contend with, we're cool and full enough to head on. Vanessa, like a blood hound that's found a fresh scent, and chomping at the bit to find the cache in Wellington, plugs in the Wellington coordinates on her GPS only to find we're standing right on top of yet another find.....Eureka!!! as she walks 15 feet to the hiding spot, pulls out the box, leaves a trinket and a short message, and takes her treasure...success! A light drizzle is falling now, as we head up the trail. More history, as some of the remnents have merely been abandoned, and some are in total ruins. Trudging along, we soon head through the remaining concrete snow shed, worn a bit after all these years but affording a dry spot and brief reprieve from the drizzle. Out of the enclosure, we arrive at a platform, with yet more history.....the recap of an avalanche that all but buried the entire train....the photos of this are quite incredible. Hot on the trail to the last geocache of the day, we follow Vanessa to the bridge that signals the end of the trail, and she is soon out of sight, crawling under the structure, and locating the box with the treasures in. Take one, leave a note, and leave another, the routine is. Ah, we've done it...the Iron Goat in it's entirety! A good day was had by all, and thanks Lucie not only for gracing our presence, but for your added history legends and knowledge of the trail and surrounding area, having had hiked that trail multiple times in the past. Stay tuned, and I hope your plans include joining in on one of the upcoming remaining hikes for the year 2007,


Happy Trails,
Kathy.