Nathan Senff, 11, is glad to hear there is a work party planned on Pilchuck Mountain.
He climbed the 5,300-foot mountain for the first time recently with his dad, Rich Senff, and a group of friends.
“It was hard. The trail was really rocky,” Nathan said. He especially liked the big rocks on the top of the mountain. He and his dad sat on one of the big rocks and ate lunch on a sunny Sunday in early September.
“Ah, it wasn’t that bad,” his dad said.
“It’s really beautiful when you get to the top and see all the other mountains,” Nathan said.
The pyramid-shaped mountain east of Marysville is a very popular Sunday excursion this time of year. On Sept. 7, a steady stream of people walked up the mountain. It was quite a cultural event with people speaking different languages and babies riding in back packs, as their parents walked the three miles steady up for a 2,200-foot gain.
“I liked driving up through the clouds to get to the sunshine,” Nathan said.
It was one of those foggy mornings that burned off by noon.
“I enjoyed seeing the beautiful grace of the Lord. The rock formations are cool,” said Nathan, who attends Grace Academy School and likes to sing at his church, Marysville First Assembly.
Nathan and his father have also hiked Mount Erie but Nathan liked the ice caves best.
“It was really fun sliding on the ice,” said Nathan. Residents of Arlington, they often walk around town, too.
“I like to visit the antique stores,” Nathan said, adding he is very interested in weather and wants to be a meteorologist, but he also enjoys history and music.
The trail of Pilchuck Mountain gets period renovations. It was rebuilt in the summer of 1998 and a work party is planned Saturday, Sept. 27 for some restoration work in honor of National Public Lands Day.
Volunteers are welcome to help out from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on a project about a mile from the trailhead, according to Jim Adams of the Northwest Interpretive Association. The project is co-sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service. Lunch and snacks will be provided, and volunteers will receive a National Public Lands Day 2008 commemorative poster.
Sign up for the event or obtain more information at www.nwpubliclands.org/volunteer_opportunities or call Jim Adams at 206-220-4140.
National Public Lands Day
In honor of National Public Lands Day, Sept. 27 and 28, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest can be explored and enjoyed for no fee as Northwest Forest Pass daily fees are waived to welcome new visitors. The waiver of fees applies to day-use fee sites including trailheads, boat launches and picnic areas.
National Public Lands Day recognizes the efforts of citizens who volunteer across America’s millions of acres of public lands.
“Help from volunteers is essential for us to provide a quality recreational experience for the public,” said Wilderness and Trails Specialist Gary Paull of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Volunteers contribute more than 60,000 hours of work annually to maintain trails, provide educational services, staff lookouts, work at visitor centers, and to patrol wilderness areas on the forest, Paull said.
