tarbell trail to larch mountain, wa

date hiked: june 30, 2007
distance: 6.05 miles
highest elevation: 3496 feet
elevation gain: 1200 feet
time: 2 hours, 23 minutes

in case you haven’t noticed, i’m quite adept at getting lost. a few weeks ago, i headed out to hike silver star mountain. i never made it to the trailhead. i somehow ended up east of the town of washougal. (which would be like trying to go to los angeles and ending up in san diego…way off base.) i never did hike that day. so i tried again. this time, i found the trailhead…i just ended up on the wrong trail. apparently, in my excitement to head out…i didn’t stop to consider the difference between east and west. so, instead of hiking silver star mountain…i hiked larch mountain, washington. there is also a larch mountain, oregon…hence the specification.

at 3496 feet, larch mountain is the tallest free-standing peak in clark county, washington…the county where i live. at the top, you could see silver star mountain to the northeast…and i thought it only fitting to take a picture. both mt. st. helens and mt. hood were covered in clouds, only their bases clearly visible. both larch and silver star are part of the yacolt burn state forest. the yacolt burn occurred in 1902 and was the largest forest fire in washington state history, burning 36 miles in 36 hours.

the trail itself was probably frequented more by mountain bikers than hikers. many areas were deeply gouged by tire tracks. the trail was very rocky. once again, i never saw another person. i did get to see my first active beaver pond. alas…no beaver present.  

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