Island County High Point Trip Report
Date: July 5, 2001
Author: Andy Martin
This one looked pretty simple on the topo map, but is now infested with new houses and roads not on the map.
I carefully organized my sight level, GPS unit, trusty topozone printout map, and headed into the
wilds of WA suburbia.
1. Hiked south to end of public part of Sequoia Place. A "Beware of Dogs" sign seen here. Sight level
proved inconclusive - lots of this large area is still densely vegetated.
This puts you well into the large area in section 36.
Etrex GPS reading on road, poor satellite fix:
(48 deg 13.388 min N; 122 deg 30.170 min W); elevation 331 ft (demonstrating poor GPS fix)
2. Hiked south to end of public part of Win-Sun-Way [road]. This also puts you into the large area in
section 36. Briefly hopped onto grassy knoll in yard. The vegetation off the sides off this road is mighty
thick in spots.
3. Back to main road, then continue north on road that enters section 25. Many houses scattered around the
three areas here. Used sight level, did not see anything especially promising.
4. Off to the north most area. It was free of houses and roads, finally giving us a chance to wander
unmolested in the woods. Our journey of 15 (?) minutes covered perhaps 100 yards south into the brush,
followed by a disheveled retreat back to the road.
Exact field notes:
"Hellacious fricking green and stinging mess of rotted deadfall"
This introductory course in the joys of Northwest low elevation bushwhacking was made under ideal
summer conditions - no rain, no bugs, flat terrain.
I'll take a pass on the advanced seminars, but some pointers for novices:
A. Don't wear a short sleeved shirt in stinging nettles.
B. A GPS unit is useless in dense trees.
C. A Sight level is useless in dense brush.
D. Ground cover does not thin out away from the roadside in WA.
E. 10 feet deep hard packed snow cover really would constitute an improvement in terrain like this.
F. These sorts of trips are best left to the COHP purists.
G. There will never be a big demand for the list of WA summits of less than 1,000' elevation.
Did not leave a cairn back in these woods as:
A. Never was sure exactly where the highest ground lay.
B. No one could ever find it
C. No rocks