{"id":38248,"date":"2026-02-06T12:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T12:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=38248"},"modified":"2026-02-06T13:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T13:04:08","slug":"quiet-alpine-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goatbells.blog\/?p=38248","title":{"rendered":"Quiet Alpine Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The valley was to have late morning fog, but the foothills warmer and fog-free earlier. Logical good hike -> Alpine Trail<\/a> from the best Willmatte National Forest TH @ Westfir Covered Bridge park<\/a>. Driving from Hwy 58 to Westfir, frost was everywhere in the hill’s shadow sparkling in headlamps, and on the park lawn too. I started from the park at 7:00 when just light enough without headlamp. Immediately up from the TH, sunrise started its magic show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A bit further, the fog started lifting from the river around the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Diamond Peak needs snow. Hopefully the rains predicted this weekend will blanket the cascades with feet of snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The forest along this section of Alpine ranges from young pine <20 years to middle age Douglas Fir (~75 years) and in smaller areas very old western red cedar. Most of the trail just wanders thru the woods like this mixed age stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I continued on Alpine Trail past Tire Mt junction, and just past the junction is a great cascades foothills meadow – all the meadows on both Alpine and Tire Mt are very steep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Around the edge of one meadow, these were the birds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Route<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Started at the Covered Bridge TH and straight up Alpine Trail to past TH #3. I turned around there (at start of long descent) and then took a short detour on Tire Mt trail before retracing back to the covered bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n