Day 6 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State!
I might have known.
Known, what? What’s wrong, SPHP?
Oh, nothing much, Looper. Mountains of gold are notoriously difficult to find. No doubt this is just par for the course.
You can’t find Gold Mountain?
Not exactly, not yet, but I’m certain we can’t be too far from it.
Well, maybe you should quit driving in circles and back and forth, and just follow the treasure map!
That was part of the problem. SPHP had only printed out the portion of the treasure map that actually showed Gold Mountain (1,761 ft.) and a small area close to it. Additional notes on what roads to take to get to the trailhead, and what SPHP could remember about their configuration, weren’t matching up with reality. The topo map was old, as treasure maps are apt to be. Apparently new roads had been built, and new names given to old roads.
Talk about confusing! SPHP drove right past the Gold Creek trailhead thinking it couldn’t be the right place since the roads to it weren’t as shown on the ancient treasure map. Half an hour plus of useless driving around later, Lupe was back. Yeah, this was it!
The Gold Creek trailhead was huge. Two different trails left it, just as Lupe’s friend mountaineer Jobe Wymore had said.
Only a couple of other vehicles were around when SPHP finally parked the CX3. (12:18 PM, 47°F) The low, gray sky promised a genuine Pacific Northwest experience. Light rain fell as Lupe sniffed about the parking lot while SPHP tried to remember which trail to take. A map posted at the trailhead showed a trail to Green Mountain (1,700 ft.), but none to Gold Mountain. Hmm.
Yesterday evening, Jobe had been very specific about which trail to take. It had all been so clear then, that SPHP hadn’t bothered writing it down. Pure genius! All SPHP could really remember was that the correct route started out going E or NE sort of in the direction of Gold Creek, but soon took a turn to the SE. Actually following the creek was a no-no.
Well, how hard could it be? Lupe only had two options. The Gold Creek trail left the N end of the trailhead heading NE. Hundreds of feet farther S, the Tin Mine trail went E. Both trails immediately disappeared into the forest.
Not at all certain it was the right thing to do, SPHP let Lupe start up the Gold Creek trail.
The Gold Creek trail was a wide, well-worn path. It wound through a dense forest. The dreary sky wept a steady rain. Lupe came to many puddles and places where the trail itself was a small stream.
SPHP watched for a turn to the SE, but Lupe didn’t come to one. She had only been on the trail 10 minutes when the roar of Gold Creek could be heard to the N. Peering through the forest, it was soon possible to see Gold Creek down in a big ravine. Gold Creek was much larger than SPHP had imagined.
SPHP checked the treasure map. The map showed a GPS track up Gold Mountain that never got this close to Gold Creek. The Carolina Dog was going the wrong way. Oh, well! Lupe returned to the trailhead.
Of course, the intention was to check out the Tin Mine trail next. Hah! As soon as Looper reached the trailhead, she noticed what seemed to be a long abandoned road immediately S of the Gold Creek trail. Cursory examination revealed an unmarked trail disappearing into the forest. Could this be the right way?
Probably not. Jobe hadn’t mentioned any unmarked trails! Still, it seemed worth a brief exploration. SPHP followed Lupe into the forest. Surprisingly, instead of fading away, the unmarked trail became better defined. It headed E or ENE gaining some elevation.
Within 5 minutes, Lupe came to a junction with a somewhat better trail coming in from the SW. Perhaps this was the Tin Mine trail? Maybe Lupe had taken a shortcut to it? There were no signs here, either, but it at least seemed possible. Loop continued ENE on the better trail.
The climb was steepening. The trail began to bend around to the SE. This was all exactly what was supposed to happen. However, there were complications. The forest was full of trails! Lupe kept coming to forks going in all sorts of directions. No signs, no arrows, nothing.
Evidently the trail was braided. SPHP checked the treasure map. After a fairly steep 400 or 500 foot climb, the terrain ought to level out. The goal was to keep going SE around the W end of Gold Mountain. If Lupe could get to the S side of the mountain, she eventually ought to find a road there that would take her E.
The American Dingo kept climbing. She tried to gain elevation rapidly while heading SE or E. It seemed important not to get too far N or S, but the towering forest made it hard to tell if Lupe was going the right way. At the many trail junctions, she sometimes took the L fork, sometimes the R.
Success seemed far from certain.
Lo and behold! After a particularly long steep stretch, having gained what seemed to be about the right amount of elevation, the terrain did level out.
After a couple more short uphill spurts, the Carolina Dog reached a trail junction where there were several fallen tree trunks. The ground was level again here. One trail headed SE toward an area where the forest didn’t look as dense.
Lupe didn’t have to follow the trail to the SE far at all before the news was good. Real good!
Lupe had found a road! This was unexpected boon. The Carolina Dog couldn’t possibly be close to the road shown on the map yet.
In any case, the road Loop had stumbled upon was nice and wide and level. She had reached it at a clearing at its NW end. The road left the far side of the clearing heading SE along the SW flank of Gold Mountain. By all appearances, the American Dingo was precisely where she needed to be. The road was going the right direction.
What could be easier? Lupe and SPHP followed the road.
Amid fog and mist, only the nearby forest could be seen. Gold Mountain felt quiet and mysterious.
After 20 minutes, Looper came to a T intersection. Directly ahead, the forest had been clear cut revealing part of Gold Mountain’s S slope. This new road was probably the one shown on the treasure map. In that case, Lupe needed to go L. The road curved uphill that way, a good sign.
The new road wound along a steep hillside heading E. Loop was gaining elevation again. Less than a 0.5 mile from the T intersection, a sharp curve to the N appeared. Everything was making sense. This road was matching up well with the one shown on the treasure map.
For the next 0.33 mile, Lupe climbed steadily N, ultimately reaching an extremely foggy pass. The main road curved NE here, while several side roads branched off to the W or N. Strange electronic noises emitted from a dimly perceived hill to the NW. Loop wasn’t far from High Point 1687. The noises must have been coming from equipment up there.
Lupe stuck with the main road as she went over the pass.
The American Dingo had made it to the N side of Gold Mountain. She was already within 200 vertical feet of the top, but the summit was still more than a mile away. The road now headed E bouncing along the mountain’s upper N slopes. Lupe both gained and lost elevation, but without much net effect.
After a little while, a side road appeared on the R (S). A brief foray along it revealed a metal fence. Signs indicated the presence of antennas and broadcasting facilities. The gate was open. Lupe did not go in. SPHP thought the Carolina Dog might be close to High Point 1737 by now, but was pretty certain Gold Mountain’s summit was still farther E.
Lupe continued E on the main road. She soon came to a section of the N slope which had been clear cut. Short dirt roads left the main one in all directions. Square concrete pads with metal covers saying “Electrical” in the center were along both sides of the main road. No structures or for sale signs were present, but it appeared as if a subdivision was in the early stages of development.
Despite the absence of trees, there was nothing to see except fog. Lupe continued E. Beyond the clear cut area, the road re-entered the forest. There were still a few concrete pads around, but not nearly as many.
According to the map, the road was going to pass N of the summit taking Lupe clear to the E end of Gold Mountain. It would then curl back around to the S side of the mountain before approaching the summit area from the SE. This added an extra 0.5 mile, but trying to take an off-road shortcut directly to the summit from the N through the thick, wet forest in dense fog seemed like an incredibly bad idea.
So the road went on and on. Drizzle, mist, and fog! Lupe was beginning to tire of the whole Pacific Northwest experience thing, but had no way to dry off. Fortunately, it wasn’t cold out, merely cool. Persevering, Loop started coming to huge puddles swamping the entire road. Some were fed by small streams. Lupe and SPHP splashed right through them.
At last the road began to turn S. It seemed like Lupe was losing elevation steadily.
Fortunately that trend didn’t last. After winding SE then S for a bit, the road made a sharp turn to the W. Lupe had made it around the E end of Gold Mountain! She climbed a steep, short section of pavement. The road became gravel again. Before long, Loop went by a couple of side roads. The main road angled NW (R) climbing toward a minor pass.
Lupe went as far as the pass. A side road angled to the L here. Lupe had already passed a dirt road on the R, and a paved road with a gate that went to the L. It didn’t seem like Loop had gone far enough back to the W yet to be close to the summit of Gold Mountain, but Lupe and SPHP weren’t used to traveling through fog and rain like this.
Complicating matters, both Jobe and trip reports on Peakbagger.com had mentioned that the true summit of Gold Mountain (1,761 ft.) is near a couple of sets of towers. The summit was actually a little off the road up on a mossy knoll sort of to the NW between the towers. The treasure map showed only one road leading to a point SE of the summit, and no towers. Maybe Lupe better check out some of these side roads to see if they led to towers or an obvious high point?
The paved road with the gate was only a short way back. Surely it went to something. Lupe would go check that out first.
The gate was open. Lupe headed down the paved road. After a dip, the road curved to the L (S) and climbed to a forested high point. A huge fenced-in tower rose into the fog. The highest ground in the area was outside the fence. A concrete platform sat among trees a little NE of the tower. This couldn’t possibly be the true summit of Gold Mountain, but Lupe went to it anyway.
Finding the tower was encouraging! Lupe returned to the minor pass. The side road to the L here might be the way to the mossy knoll!
No such luck. The side road went only 100 feet or so then dead-ended. There was higher ground to the W, but no definite high point or mossy knoll was within sight. The forest looked forbidding. Hmm. Couldn’t rule this out, but it didn’t look all that promising. Maybe it was better to explore other possibilities first?
Near the minor pass another dirt road went E meeting up with the one that had left the R side of the main road a bit earlier on. A short climb led to another fenced-in area. Two smaller towers were within the fence. The gate was closed.
Well, that made 2 sets of towers, which was all there were as far as SPHP knew. Maybe Lupe was going to have to charge off into the wet, gloomy forest from the side road near the minor pass after all? The idea wasn’t appealing. The forest looked like a tough slog. With no trail to follow, the fog would make it super easy to become disoriented.
Checking out both sets of towers and the side road at the pass had only taken 20 minutes. Where did the main road go beyond the minor pass? Even though it didn’t appear too promising either, perhaps it was best to check it out before doing anything rash.
Beyond the minor pass, the main road headed W. 5 minutes brought Lupe to a final fork in the road. The most traveled branch was to the R (NE). Lupe went that way. Another short climb led to a 3rd collection of towers and metal buildings at yet another high spot. This one seemed higher than any of the other points Lupe had been to so far. The highest ground was on a small rocky ridge N of the towers.
How many sets of towers were there on Gold Mountain anyway? Lupe was going to find out! After visiting the highest spot on the little ridge, she went back down to the final fork in the road. This time she took the branch to the L as she’d originally approached the intersection.
This last road was more interesting than the other side spurs. It seemed less traveled and went through a more primeval forest. Two minutes brought Lupe to an intriguing small pond on the R (N). A bit farther on, the road curved S. Loop arrived at a 4th set of towers.
That was it. No more roads to explore. Lupe had her answer. The E end of Gold Mountain had 4 sets of towers. Now what?
Somewhere there was one true summit. The mossy knoll was supposed to be NW of the end of the road between 2 sets of towers. Did that mean NW of the final fork in the road, which Lupe had just been to twice now? Seemed like it did. Lupe and SPHP went back to it.
The terrain NW of the intersection was densely forested. No telling what was hidden in there. Lupe had seen that the ground N of the little pond was definitely higher, though. Hmm.
For a second time, Loop and SPHP headed back up the R fork of the road leading to the 3rd set of towers. Looking back to the W before reaching the towers, Lupe could see a hillside dimly through the fog. How high it went was difficult to say. The hillside looked steep. The most interesting thing about it, though, was that it wasn’t entirely forested. A narrow clearing ran partway down the E slope. The clearing was light green compared to the forest, as if it was covered with moss!
A steep ravine was between the road and the hillside. Lupe had to go all the way back down to the intersection to avoid it. Now or never! Lupe left the final fork, plunging NW into the dank forest.
The forest was an absolute jungle compared to what Lupe is used to at home in the Black Hills. Strange plants and ferns, moss hanging thickly from dead tree branches – it was all so exotic! The American Dingo pressed on, climbing a rapidly steepening hillside. Soon she was above the steepest part.
Several feet to the R (N) was the light green mossy slope that had been visible from the road. Upon reaching it, Lupe couldn’t see the road or the 3rd set of towers when she looked off to the E. The fog was too thick.
A little higher! 20 feet, that was all. Presumably this was it – the summit of Gold Mountain (1,761 ft.)!
Wet and tired, at the top of the elusive mossy knoll, dear Lupe stood next to a tree stump looking profoundly disillusioned.
So is this it? The place where the treasure map said to go?
Yes, Looper, this seems to be it.
So there’s no treasure? No gold left on Gold Mountain at all?
Oh, Loop! By the time a mountain gets named Gold Mountain, someone has already made off with all the gold, or at least staked a legal claim to it. The road brought us almost all the way here, you know. We are far from being the first to arrive.
I see.
You, alright Loopster?
I had my hopes up. We were going to be rich! With a pile of gold, we could get a new Rubicon like Jobe and go on all kinds of adventures!
We’ll still go on plenty of adventures. We always do! The G6 may not be a Rubicon, but it gets us to lots of terrific places.
Maybe, but it’s not the same. Even a little bit of gold would have made this a better day. It all would have been worth it then.
Well, sorry to say, there’s no gold here. That’s a fact. At least not laying around. But there is a treasure. And it’s here right now!
A treasure? Where?
You’re my treasure, Lupe. And I’m yours, aren’t I? We’re both rich enough as it is. Hardly anyone is as rich as we are as long as we have each other.
That was all true, and Lupe knew it, but sometimes philosophy just doesn’t cut it by itself no matter how correct it might be. Sometimes it just sounds like cheap platitudes. At the moment, the disappointment was simply too much for the American Dingo. She cheered up, but only a little, when SPHP suggested looking around to see if the “Gold” survey benchmark was somewhere around here.
It turned out there actually was a physical treasure on Gold Mountain. Near a metal rod, a couple of large pieces of bark were propped up against the SW side of the stump at the top of the mossy knoll. They hid a plastic jar containing a registry and a geocache.
Only the registry was of genuine interest. The most recent entries were Michael Quint on 5-26-18, his 6th county high point. Denis Dean on 10-13-18, his 1,072nd county high point! Wendy and Max Schrempp on 11-9-18, a beautiful day. SPHP added Lupe’s name.
Lupe did find the “Gold” survey benchmark about 8 feet N of the stump, but that didn’t lift her spirits. It wasn’t made of real gold, just ordinary base metal.
Only yesterday at Mount Walker, Lupe and SPHP had learned that Jobe was sort of an expert on mushrooms. One big mushroom grew at the top of Gold Mountain. Maybe Jobe would like to see a picture of it? It later turned out that Jobe was more fascinated by the little mushrooms growing beneath the big one.
Well, there wasn’t much more to see. Even so, despite the fog and mist, Lupe rested for a few minutes on the mossy knoll at the summit of Gold Mountain. SPHP offered her Taste of the Wild, but she wasn’t hungry. She just seemed to be pondering this day, thinking sad thoughts.
It was getting late. Nearly 3:45 PM on a dark November day with miles to go to get back to the rented Mazda CX3 at the Gold Creek trailhead. Time to buck up and take action! Before leaving the mossy knoll, SPHP returned the geocache to its hiding place. Gold Mountain had at least turned out to be a peakbagging success. The American Dingo posed at the summit to commemorate the occasion.
Puppy, ho! Onward!
Heading back to the road from the mossy knoll, Lupe discovered a faint trail. It brought her down E of the little pond by the road to the 4th set of towers. This was a slightly longer route than her direct ascent NW from the last fork in the road, but probably a better way to go since it wasn’t as steep.
From the pond, a couple of minutes got the Carolina Dog back to the last fork in the main road.
A long, damp, foggy march back the way Lupe had come ensued. Quiet forest, splashing through puddles, mist and light rain, fading light, fog and solitude. By the time Lupe got back to the start of the first road, it was a black, black night.
The flashlight came out. Into the forest! Down, down the maze of trails. Some points did seem familiar. The adventure ended when Lupe emerged at the start of the Tin Mine trail. There was the rented CX3, waiting faithfully at the trailhead. (5:25 PM, 53°F)
Lupe and SPHP were supposed to spend the night at Jobe’s place again, but Loop should have been back hours ago. Jobe must be wondering what was going on. All the confusion finding the trailhead had caused such a late start. SPHP tried to call Jobe. No phone service.
Near Gorst, SPHP finally got through. Yeah, Jobe had been starting to get a teensy bit concerned. All was well, though. Lupe was late getting back, but another terrific, fun evening was spent enjoying Jobe’s company and hospitality.
Gold Mountain was the last big adventure of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State. The next morning, after thanking Jobe and bidding farewell, she and SPHP drove away from the Olympic Peninsula. Two pleasant days were spent in the CX3 cruising E on I-90 before Lupe was home again. (11-30-18)
Gold Creek Trailhead Directions: From Gorst near the end of the Sinclair Inlet SW of Bremerton, take NE Old Belfair Highway (Old Navy Yard Way on the topo map) W 6 miles. Turn R on Bear Creek Dewato Road. Go 3 miles to a R turn onto NE Gold Creek Road. The Gold Creek trailhead will be 3 miles N on the R (E).
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