WeRmudfun
New member
This was our 6th hike on our vacation. It brought us back to NW Crystal, #82 for us on the fire tower list of the 93 towers that are standing, once stood or were proposed. I say 'brings us back' because we attempted this on our July vacation and discovered this to be a nasty little peak to bag.
We got to the area to start our bushwhack by following Cedar Stream Road for 8.9 miles and then taking a right onto an unmarked logging road. We followed that road for about 3.1 miles. Right around this area is a defined, but starting to over grow, old logging road on the left. You can't drive up it very far before you hit a culvert which someone did go around. We have 4 wheel drive, but were not attempting it being in the middle of nowhere.
At this point we were about 1.1 mile from the summit (in a straight line). We walked up the road to a landing area which got us to within 0.65 miles from the summit (again in a straight line).
The first time we attempted to go to the left which looked like a very overgrown logging road, but the GPS also showed a trail. Neither one panned out. We got drenched to the waist and we were at times walking through boot sucking mud. After 3 hours and only get to within 0.37 miles of the summit, we hit an impassable area of spruce and blowdowns. We called it quits and decided to leave it for another day.
Last Wednesday was the day. This time we went to the right and found the forest to be more open and the waist high grass and brush to be not as wet...we still got very wet, but the hike wasn't as miserable. We hit some dense areas, but unlike last time, we were able to get around them. Well right up until we got to about 300 feet from the summit and found all the pines blocking our way and the incline was on the steep side too. We were way to close so we pushed on through them up to the summit. We were covered in pine needles, but getting to the peak was well worth removing them from everywhere later.
We came onto the summit right at the canister. The cool thing was the canister, it sure beat hiking that mountain just because a backup fire tower was once PROPOSED! Oh and a tidbit of info, we got cell service on the summit!
We got to the area to start our bushwhack by following Cedar Stream Road for 8.9 miles and then taking a right onto an unmarked logging road. We followed that road for about 3.1 miles. Right around this area is a defined, but starting to over grow, old logging road on the left. You can't drive up it very far before you hit a culvert which someone did go around. We have 4 wheel drive, but were not attempting it being in the middle of nowhere.
At this point we were about 1.1 mile from the summit (in a straight line). We walked up the road to a landing area which got us to within 0.65 miles from the summit (again in a straight line).
The first time we attempted to go to the left which looked like a very overgrown logging road, but the GPS also showed a trail. Neither one panned out. We got drenched to the waist and we were at times walking through boot sucking mud. After 3 hours and only get to within 0.37 miles of the summit, we hit an impassable area of spruce and blowdowns. We called it quits and decided to leave it for another day.
Last Wednesday was the day. This time we went to the right and found the forest to be more open and the waist high grass and brush to be not as wet...we still got very wet, but the hike wasn't as miserable. We hit some dense areas, but unlike last time, we were able to get around them. Well right up until we got to about 300 feet from the summit and found all the pines blocking our way and the incline was on the steep side too. We were way to close so we pushed on through them up to the summit. We were covered in pine needles, but getting to the peak was well worth removing them from everywhere later.
We came onto the summit right at the canister. The cool thing was the canister, it sure beat hiking that mountain just because a backup fire tower was once PROPOSED!
Oh and a tidbit of info, we got cell service on the summit! 
