McClellan Butte

Saturday, July 18th

Elevation gain 3800 ft

Trail length: 4.4 miles one way

Time taken: 2 hrs 40 mins on way up and 1 hr 45 on way down.
Level of difficulty: Hard

Another excellent Summer day in the Pacific Northwest, and what a better way to soak it up than being at the summit of the shear cliff of the McClellan Butte at an elevation of 5,160 ft?

Unlike other hikes I have undertaken so far, I started out late on the day: 4:25 PM at the trail head to be precise. I figured, with a long summer day and no inclement weather in the forecast, I would have enough time to complete the hike. But to tell you the truth, I ended up spending more time at the summit, being lost in the excellent views all around, oblivious to passing time. As a result, I barely made it back to the trail head just before it got really dark at 9:10 pm.

By getting to the summit late in the day, I also expected to have some nicer picture moments in the afternoon sun. Boy, was I disappointed at all! The sun played light and shades with the clouds and painted all sort of collages on the greenery below. You have to be there to enjoy the 360 degrees of unobstructed views of the peaks and the precipitous hillsides of the Cascade Mountains.

I encountered fewer people en-route compared to any other trails in the area. Everyone I met were returning. At the time of passing the last person, I was hardly a third of the way up. Obviously, I was all alone at the summit. It is nice for a change to not find a crowd on one of the popular hiking destinations. But a companion while hiking would sure have lessened the feelings of physical hardship associated with such an arduous effort as this hike.

The trail has changed slightly from the description in the book in terms of location of crossing the Iron Horse Trail. The book also did not indicate a loss of elevation at the beginning of the final stretch of the climb. Even on this bright July day, there were still patches of snow on some sections of the trail. At one point, the trail disappears under a large chunk of ice, which entailed special efforts to cross it.

The final 100 feet of climbing the rock scramble is not for the faint hearted. It can be dangerous for the average person on a good weather day, and even for the brave on a wet day. You could stop right there and not climb the scramble. Then you would perhaps always be mulling on what it would have been like at the summit. But once you make it, you are rewarded with feelings of satisfaction and pleasure that makes the whole exercise well worth it.

See more pictures here.