{"id":17884,"date":"2018-12-22T08:10:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-22T15:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=17884"},"modified":"2020-11-26T14:55:03","modified_gmt":"2020-11-26T21:55:03","slug":"mount-walker-washington-with-mountaineer-jobe-wymore-11-27-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=17884","title":{"rendered":"Mount Walker, Washington with Mountaineer Jobe Wymore (11-27-18)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 5 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State!<\/em><\/p>\n

Rain.\u00a0 It was pouring down when Lupe got up early on the last morning of her stay at the Baymont Inn<\/strong><\/span><\/a> in Bellingham, WA.\u00a0 The sky was so dark and gloomy and wet that the Carolina Dog only got to go on a very short walk before SPHP insisted upon returning to the Baymont.\u00a0 May as well go back to sleep!<\/p>\n

Lupe’s U-Haul adventure<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, which had brought her to Washington state, was over.\u00a0 Today was supposed to be a big day!\u00a0 The Carolina Dog was now free to do whatever she wanted to.\u00a0 Arrangements had been made to climb Mount Walker<\/span><\/a> (2,804 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> this afternoon with her friend mountaineer Jobe Wymore<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, whom she hadn’t seen since the Crazy Peak, Montana<\/strong><\/span><\/a> adventure more than a year ago.<\/p>\n

The dreary downpour was discouraging.\u00a0 Maybe Mount Walker wasn’t going to happen?<\/p>\n

Only a few hours later, though, things were looking up!\u00a0 The sky was brighter, the rain reduced to intermittent drippiness.\u00a0 For the last time, Lupe and SPHP went for a walk in the woods on the Shopping Cart Trail as far as the little creek.\u00a0 Back at the Baymont, Lupe again selected ham and cheese for her free continental breakfast.\u00a0 After checking out, the American Dingo and SPHP headed S out of Bellingham on I-5 in the newly rented Mazda CX3.<\/p>\n

At Burlington, SPHP turned W on Highway 20.\u00a0 Mount Walker is on the Olympic Peninsula, and Jobe had suggested taking the Keystone to Port Townsend ferry<\/strong><\/span><\/a> to avoid a drive clear around Puget Sound through Seattle and Tacoma to get there.\u00a0 Jobe lives on the Olympic Peninsula, and could meet Lupe in Port Townsend after he got off work.<\/p>\n

Jobe had another suggestion.\u00a0 Mount Erie<\/span><\/a> (1,273 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> is an easy peak just off Highway 20.\u00a0 Maybe Lupe would like to climb Mount Erie on her way to the ferry?\u00a0 That would have been fun!\u00a0 The weather had improved tremendously.\u00a0 It was actually sunny out.\u00a0 Unfortunately, SPHP didn’t have any maps of the area, didn’t see any signs for Mount Erie, and didn’t know where to stop.<\/p>\n

Probably best to get to Port Townsend in plenty of time to meet Jobe, anyway.\u00a0 Who knew how long the ferry was going to take?\u00a0 Reservations were recommended, and SPHP hadn’t made any.<\/p>\n

S of Coupeville, SPHP started watching for signs on how to get to the ferry.\u00a0 A single R (W) turn was all that was required.\u00a0 Lupe arrived at the Keystone ferry landing before 11:00 AM.\u00a0 Hardly anyone was around.\u00a0 There was going to be a bit of a wait before the next ferry would depart for Port Townsend.<\/p>\n

The fare was $11.90 for Lupe, SPHP and the CX3.\u00a0 Not bad at all.\u00a0 SPHP paid it and got the Mazda into the short line awaiting the next ferry.\u00a0 Lupe had plenty of time to get out and take a sniff around.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Here we are at the Keystone ferry terminal!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A campground was right next to the ferry terminal.\u00a0 Loop and SPHP walked through it.\u00a0 At the far end, Lupe could see the Olympic Peninsula across the Admiralty Inlet to Puget Sound.\u00a0 Soon Lupe would be sailing for Port Townsend!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Keystone ferry terminal from the campground. Photo looks NE.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Oh, look! There’s the Olympic Peninsula! Jobe lives somewhere over there!<\/em> Photo looks SW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lots of vehicles were waiting for the ferry by the time the next one came along.\u00a0 The Mazda CX3 was buried in among big trucks on the ride over to Port Townsend.\u00a0 Confined to the CX3, Lupe could only see a little sliver of the ocean ahead.<\/p>\n

The ferry ride took about half an hour.\u00a0 Lupe arrived in Port Townsend early in the afternoon.\u00a0 Jobe wouldn’t be available for a couple of hours yet, so Loop and SPHP took a walk near the ocean.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Near the Port Townsend ferry landing. Photo looks E.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
One of the ferries. Riding the ferry was like being in a big tunnel. The CX3 was buried among big trucks. Lupe didn’t see much on the way over to Port Townsend, since SPHP wasn’t certain if Dingoes were allowed up on deck.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jobe showed up at the appointed time right on the dot.\u00a0 It was so good to see him again!\u00a0 However, there wasn’t any time to lose.\u00a0 Daylight was burning!\u00a0 Lupe and SPHP followed Jobe in his glorious new Rubicon to the Mount Walker trailhead.<\/p>\n

Lupe couldn’t contain herself when she hopped out of the CX3, and saw Jobe standing right there in front of her!\u00a0 She went into a barking frenzy, greeting Jobe for the first time since Crazy Peak.\u00a0 Fortunately, Jobe was not alarmed as Loopster danced around him.\u00a0 The Carolina Dog finally calmed down.\u00a0 Time was a wasting!\u00a0 After this tumultuous greeting, the trek up Mount Walker began without further delay.\u00a0 (3:30 PM)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Loop and Jobe at the Mount Walker trailhead.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Starting up the Mount Walker trail.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had first met Jobe after scouting out route conditions to Odakota Mountain<\/span><\/a> (7,200 ft.)<\/span><\/strong> for him way back in late March, 2016 when he was contemplating a one day lightning trip to the Black Hills.\u00a0 Jobe actually did show up a few days later, and Lupe had gotten to accompany him to Odakota Mountain.\u00a0 She even went on with Jobe for a prickly adventure in the Wildcat Hills of Nebraska<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now Lupe was in Jobe’s home territory, and he was about to return the favor by guiding Loop up Mount Walker.\u00a0 Jobe had only recently moved to the Olympic Peninsula.\u00a0 For the last year or so, Mount Walker was his training peak.\u00a0 Sometimes he climbs Mount Walker 3 or 4 times a day, with each ascent involving over 2,000 ft. of elevation gain.\u00a0 Today’s stroll up the mountain was going to be his 235th.\u00a0 Yeah, Jobe’s a monster!<\/p>\n

The Mount Walker trail was in great shape.\u00a0 It would have been easy to follow even without Jobe’s intricate knowledge of every twist and turn.\u00a0 The trail wound steadily up the mountain from the S.\u00a0 While relatively level sections exist, mostly it was just relentlessly up at a moderate to somewhat steep pace.<\/p>\n

Early on, glimpses of the summit were occasionally present, but most of the time about the only thing that could be seen was the lush forest of towering Douglas fir the trail passed through.\u00a0 With daylight fading, Jobe set what was for him a leisurely pace, but about all SPHP could manage.\u00a0 Loopster trotted along just fine, sticking close by right on the trail while listening to the conversation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Jobe & Lupe lead the way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Jobe’s enormous and varied mountaineering experience, conversations with him are always fascinating.\u00a0 While SPHP did a Big Bad Wolf impersonation, huffing and puffing up the trail, Jobe expounded upon a number of subjects.\u00a0 Before long, he pointed out a mushroom.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
After Jobe pointed out this mushroom, they became the topic of the day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jobe maintained that almost everyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest develops some degree of interest in mushrooms.\u00a0 The cool, moist climate is conducive to the growth of a wide variety.\u00a0 Hunting for mushrooms is a popular PNW pastime.\u00a0 Jobe has a collection of books about them, and is well read on the subject.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, keeping a sharp eye out for rare mushrooms is one aspect of climbing the same mountain 235 times that helps keep the experience fresh and full of possibilities.\u00a0 Jobe started talking about Bird’s Nest mushrooms, which are seldom seen.\u00a0 As these mushrooms mature, they resemble bird’s nests complete with eggs.\u00a0 He had recently discovered some on Mount Walker, and promised to show them to Lupe and SPHP.<\/p>\n

A bit farther on, Jobe paused and looked carefully at a particular spot on an embankment along the upper side of the trail.\u00a0 There they were!\u00a0 Jobe pointed out several Bird’s Nest mushrooms growing next to each other in a little clump.<\/p>\n

No wonder Bird’s Nest mushrooms are seldom seen!\u00a0 They were teeny tiny!\u00a0 True to their name, they did resemble bird’s nests.\u00a0 Itsy bitsy “eggs” were present in a couple of them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
These Bird’s Nest mushrooms which Jobe pointed out were teeny tiny. He knew exactly where they were, however, so he could show them to Lupe & SPHP.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Jobe points to diminutive Bird’s Nest mushrooms. Photo by Jobe Wymore taken on another day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Close up of Bird’s Nest fungi (Nidulariaceae<\/em>). Photo by Jobe Wymore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lupe had already made considerable progress up Mount Walker, when suddenly the sky looked leaden.\u00a0 In the PNW, one has to be prepared for rain.\u00a0 Soon SPHP was putting on the old plastic Cookie Monster outfit (blue rain poncho).\u00a0 Jobe had a waterproof jacket.\u00a0 Only the Carolina Dog was getting wet, but she didn’t seem to mind too much.<\/p>\n

In darkness and rain, Loop, Jobe & SPHP continued up the trail.\u00a0 The mushroom dissertation was still in progress when Jobe unexpectedly announced that this was it.\u00a0 The American Dingo had made it to the top of Mount Walker<\/span><\/a> (2,804 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>!<\/p>\n

By flashlight, it was possible to see that Loop had arrived at a flat open area.\u00a0 A signboard stood along one side.\u00a0 Perhaps it contained a map or information about the view.\u00a0 Of course, nothing beside a black void was observable under current conditions.<\/p>\n

Jobe said the true summit of Mount Walker was only 10 feet higher and quite close by.\u00a0 He led Lupe right to it.\u00a0 If Jobe hadn’t been here, Lupe and SPHP never would have found it in the dark.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
With Jobe’s help, Lupe claims a successful ascent at the true summit of Mount Walker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For some reason, the camera’s flash didn’t seem to be working.\u00a0 SPHP seldom takes photos at night.\u00a0 No doubt the apparent malfunction was a simple case of operator error.\u00a0 In the rain, it didn’t seem worth trying to figure out what SPHP was doing wrong.\u00a0 After a few grainy shots by flashlight of the open area where the viewpoint was, Lupe, Jobe & SPHP called it good and started back down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
A nice blurry shot of Lupe’s curly tail and Jobe as a dark presence (L) over by the signboard in the viewpoint area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Jobe & Loop by the signboard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Slightly better, or simply awesome if you like fuzzy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the way down Mount Walker, Jobe showed Lupe and SPHP several Cat’s Tongue mushrooms.\u00a0 Even in pitch blackness, he knew right where they were.\u00a0 The Cat’s Tongue mushrooms had a ghostly appearance.\u00a0 They were soft and gelatinous to the touch.\u00a0 A real cat’s tongue would have been rougher.<\/p>\n

The rain stopped well before Looper made it back to the CX3 (6:15 PM).\u00a0 <\/em>Although her Mount Walker experience was over, Lupe’s time with Jobe was not.\u00a0 Jobe had cordially invited Lupe and SPHP to stay with him at his condo overnight.\u00a0 A most interesting and comfortable evening was ahead.\u00a0 While Jobe and SPHP chatted over dinner and on into the night, Lupe enjoyed a long snooze on Jobe’s red couch.<\/p>\n

Perhaps her Mount Walker adventure wasn’t completely over?\u00a0 Maybe Loop was still out in the rain and darkness heading ever higher up the trail?\u00a0 Even Jobe noticed that as she slept, those Dingo paws were still twitching.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lupe with Jobe at his condo on the comfy red couch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Note:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jobe Wymore later kindly furnished the following mushroom photos.\u00a0 All of these photos, except for the mature Devil’s Tooth (from the web), were taken during other ascents of Mount Walker.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Cat’s Tongue<\/strong> – pseudohydnum gelatinosum<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Funnel Mushroom<\/strong> – genus clitocybe<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Golden Chanterelle<\/strong> – cantharellus formosus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Elfin Saddle<\/strong> (gray) – genus helvella<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Elfin Saddle<\/strong> (tan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Scaly Vase Chanterelle<\/strong> – tubinellus floccosus<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Devil’s Tooth<\/strong> (immature) – hydnellum peckii<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Devil’s Tooth<\/strong> (mature)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lobster Mushroom<\/strong> – hypomyces lactifluotum<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jobe Wymore also furnished the following Mount Walker viewpoint photos from ascents made in the days shortly before or after accompanying Lupe to the summit:\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
What’s this! A German Dingo? Apparently American Dingoes have competition on Mount Walker! Unidentified person is not Jobe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Links:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Adventure<\/span><\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Prior Adventure<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more Lupe adventures?\u00a0\u00a0Choose\u00a0from\u00a0Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0Dingo Vacations Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a> or Master Adventure Index<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Or subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Day 5 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State! Rain.\u00a0 It was pouring down when Lupe got up early on the last morning of her stay at the Baymont Inn in Bellingham, WA.\u00a0 The sky was so dark and gloomy and wet that the Carolina Dog only got to go on a very short … Continue reading Mount Walker, Washington with Mountaineer Jobe Wymore (11-27-18)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1016],"tags":[105,106,26,837,104,1021,1022,11,501],"class_list":["post-17884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2018-washington-state","tag-american-dingo","tag-carolina-dog","tag-dingo-vacations","tag-jobe-wymore","tag-lupe","tag-mount-walker","tag-mushrooms","tag-peakbagging","tag-washington"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_2719PH-scaled.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17884"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29986,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17884\/revisions\/29986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}