Mt. Dickerman

I took a solo hike on Mt. Dickerman in August.  Dickerman is located on the Mountain Loop Highway in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and its trailhead shares a parking lot with the trailhead of the Perry Creek/Mt. Forgotten path, which I've hiked four times in the past.  I got an early start, reaching the trailhead at 8:00, after a two-hour drive.  I was the first to sign the register and started off eagerly.

While the Perry Creek trail lulls you into a false sense of security, only to spring steep switchbacks on you after the falls, Dickerman gets right down to business.  The weather was coolish and overcast, and I felt good as I negotiated the scores of switchbacks through dense forest.  Eventually, I came upon the meadows which were just lovely, carpeted in red, white, yellow, blue and purple wildflowers.  There were quite a few meadows, and walking through them on long, not-so-steep pathways was a nice reward for having come through the switchbacks.

I reached the top in just under three hours, having stopped a few times for photos and snacks.  While the hike was tough, I made it through with surprisingly little real difficulty.  The summit was grand, with two main peaks and a flowery sloped meadow.  Fog obscured most of the long-views to the horizons, although the middle views into the valleys were impressive.   I planned to spend an hour at the top and began to wonder if the clouds would push through sufficiently so that I could see some of the surrounding peaks. 

During that hour, the fog pushed through in waves, steamed up from unseen valleys, and blew through the meadow where I stood.  The sun tried to poke through, and I got glimpses of clarity here and there, but eventually the fog blanketed the view in all directions, the sky darkened and it got uncomfortably cold.  Luckily I had a hooded windbreaker, although gloves would have been nice as well.  I was soon shivering and looking for places to stand so that the swirling winds would miss me. I walked down the meadow towards a lower cliff and was surprised to find a metal box with solar panel and antenna mounted on the cliff edge.  A sticker on the back identified the box as belonging to Snohomish County Search and Rescue.

I trudged back up the meadow towards one of the peaks.  The fog hadn't lifted, it was still cold, and my predetermined hour was nearly up.  I was just about ready to head back down when I was startled by a gray jay flapping right by my head.  He alit on a nearby treetop and eyed me.  I took the hint and dug into my bag for the almonds in my trail mix.  He wasn't shy and flew onto my hand.  His mate was a little more reserved and waited for me to toss one onto the rocks for her to scoop up.  Soon there were more jays, about 5 or 6 total, and each took turns at landing on my hand for an almond.  Luckily I had plenty of almonds and so I settled in (as the air warmed and the fog lifted slightly) and spent a good long while enjoying the birds' company.  I truly felt blessed by nature that the jays showed up to save me in my hour of discomfort.

When I ran out of almonds I walked around a bit more to snap pictures here and there, as the fickle fog allowed.  I soon saw a group of seven mountain goats grazing on a slope in the middle distance.  They were too far away to get a clear look at them, and a fully-zoomed picture still made them seem remote, but I felt blessed again to see them.  I had heard of folks seeing goats in the area, and I wondered when I would (well, wonder no more).  They were patient grazers and I watched them for a short while from my lofty perch. 

It was difficult to tear myself away from the summit, but I had to leave sometime.  In the end I spent two and a half hours on the mountaintop, and didn't see another hiker until I was a half-hour down the trail.  I would pass seven people total on my two and a half hour descent.  I was sore and exhausted by the time I reached the trailhead and enjoyed a sandwich and some lemonade before starting the drive back home.  The fog had never fully cleared, so I missed a good chunk of the available view (including Mt. Baker) but that will only serve as a good excuse to come back and climb Dickerman again sometime.  I had a great day on that beautiful mountain; a day made even more special by the beautiful wildflowers and the friendly jays.