Shellrock Peak 2005
by Mike Thompson, 1/6/2013
Erika and Laura, both now in college, agreed to go backpacking once again to one of our favorite spots, Shellrock Peak on Bethel Ridge above Rimrock Lake, between Yakima and White Pass. We have loved this place over the years, and it offers some great advantages as a backpacking destination.
It's far enough east of the crest of the Cascades that it opens up pretty early in the season, in some years as early as the end of May. There's not a lot of elevation gain since you can drive to the trailhead at the top of Bethel Ridge, thus your car does most of the hard work for you. It's high enough, almost the whole route being along a ridge at around 6,000 feet, to offer great views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams along with lesser nearby peaks like Mt. Aix and the Goat Rocks Crest. The geology of Shellrock Peak is interesting, with it's spine of basalt columns that make it resemble a back of a Brontosaurus, and it's an easy, safe scramble to the top. We know the location of a perfect (yes, I said "perfect") camp site just big enough for one tent in a little sheltered spot. And it's close enough to Yakima to have been within striking distance of Grandma Agnes and Grandpa Al's house. Camping here always makes me feel that God smiles on little ol' me in a special way.
This first picture shows us on our way in, with Mt. Rainier to the northwest and some lupine and other wildflowers in the foreground. As you can see, the east slopes of the Cascades are much drier than the west side and there are fewer trees and less vegetation. This makes for more wide-open views, and for great cross-country snowshoeing in the winter time.
Although we were too late to catch the wildflowers at their peak, there were still quite a few blooming. Here's a selection of the ones we saw, taken mostly in the vicinity of Burnt Mountain.
I mentioned Shellrock Peak's dinosaur-like spine, and here is Laura standing among the fractured, displaced basalt columns just below the summit. Note the dark grey lichen growing thick on top of the columns. The whole rocky west side of Shellrock Peak is covered with this dark lichen. The east side, receiving less moisture because the rain and mist always blow in from the west, is much lighter in color.
Here's breakfast coffee and oatmeal (with raisins!) at the aformentioned perfect camping spot. Note the small, level area covered with short-bladed wildgrass that's just perfect for pitching a tent. Note the medium-large broken rock just the perfect size for setting a cook stove on, or for using as a place to sit. Perfect I say!
And these two pictures were taken on our hike out. The first is looking north, with Mt. Rainier to the northwest and Bismark Peak to the north, with Mt. Aix just out of view. The second is looking south, with Mt. Adams and the Goat Rocks Crest in the background.
