Too Early for the Mountain Loop Highway

 I was back with my trusty steed [4Runner] at the Boulder River Trailhead a little past noon. The sky was cool and gray, but no rain. I took that as a good omen and decided to make a day of it and drive into Darrington and catch the Mountain Loop Highway, a mostly unpaved  55 mile road that connects with Granite Falls.

I stopped by the Darrington Ranger Station to inquire about getting a Forest Pass, a $5 day pass that permits the holder to access trails and amenities in the Mount Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest Recreation Area. 

The good news: My Life Time Senior Citizen Dept. of Interior National Park Pass doubled as a Forest Pass. Just hang the plastic insert that holds my NP Pass from my rear view mirror and jump off into the wilderness and explore the Mountain Loop Highway. No additional pass needed. I'm paid up in full!

The bad news: The Mountain Loop Highway is not yet open for the season. The route is closed along the highest elevation at Barlow Pass in the middle of the loop. The contractor showed up on Monday and is clearing the fallen timber from the road and grading it for summer traffic. It should be opened around Memorial Day.

I asked Ranger Erika, "How far can I get right now and what is there for me to see along the way?" She suggested that I could check out the confluence of the Sauk and White Chuck Rivers at the parking area there and then she recommended that I continue on up to view the North Fork Sauk Falls. She said that it should be flowing a good clip right now, a spectacular and surprising sight. Ranger Erika then added that when she has out-of-town visitors, she takes them to see the North Sauk Falls.

I put my SUV in 4-wheel drive and headed out of Darrington - which didn't take long and then ran out of pavement. I stopped at the kayak boat launch at the Sauk and White Chuck River confluence and briefly looked around.

White Chuck River flows from the left into the channel of the Sauk River

Sand bar on the Sauk River provides easy access for those who wish to 
run Class 2 & 3 rapids between and over the streambed boulders of the Sauk River.

Back in 4WD mode and up the mountain on the unpaved Mountain Loop Highway - 'highway' actually is a misnomer, more like a mildly potholed car trail through heavy woods. Adventurous and doable for the average vehicle even without 4WD and high-clearance.

I pulled over at the White Chuck Mountain Overlook, and as is so often the case in the Pacific Northwest; "...now, if you could see through those clouds, you would be treated to see..."

Such was the case as I looked at a raft of clouds snagged by the peaks of the mountains across the valley, one of those cloud-shrouded peaks would have been White Chuck Mountain. I had hopes that my viewing experience of the North Sauk Falls would be more impressive than this intermediary stop.

White Chuck Mountain Overlook. 
I got a nice view of some tree and a low, gray sky obscuring the majestic mountain peaks.

***

It was mid-afternoon and I had not packed a lunch. But I had a plan; at the end of my day of exploration in the rugged Cascades, I'd be back to Darrington for a Swiss mushroom cheeseburger, fries and a big black raspberry milkshake at the quaint, roadside attraction; Darrington's own Burger Barn. 

Darrington's own Burger Barn with a large option of milk shake flavors and a host of burger combos.

Yum! 

And so it was, an early dinner, or a late lunch at 4:30 before heading back down the mountain to my estate on The Pilchuck.