Originally posted by robtcorl Word for the day:
Jerky
No photos, but Mrs. Racer and I had some nice thick cut beef jerky just like that yesterday. We went for a drive on the
Mount Loop Highway (the term 'highway' is used loosely here, it is actually a gravel/dirt road that loops from Granite Falls to Darrington through the Cascade mountians), and made a stop along the way to hike up to Big Four Mountain and the
Big Four Ice Caves. The beef jerky, along with other dried and cured meats, some fruit, granola bars and water made for great energy snacks along the way.
We had a couple of these too:
The Mount Loop Highway is about 56 miles long from Granite Falls to Darrington. The first segment from Granite Falls to Barlow Pass is paved, about 34 miles. From Barlow Pass to the Whitechuck bridge the road is gravel/dirt. The remaining 9 miles from the Whitechuck bridge to SR530 in Darrington is paved.
The portion from Granite Falls to Barlow pass follows the South Fork of the Stillaguamish river.
The portion from Barlow pass to Darrington follows the Sauk river.
The area where the loop is was originally established in the late 1936 to provide access to the mining town of
Monte Cristo, which was primarily served by railroad. Prior to that access was by railroad.
Today the four mile long road from Barlow Pass to Monte Cristo is closed. The road is private and has been washed out in a couple of places by spring flooding. There are plans to repair the road to facilitate access for cleanup of arsenic and other pollutants that remain from the years of mining during the late 1800's and early 1900's.
Today the Mount Loop Highway is provides access for many day and overnight hikes to popular peaks and lakes. Lake 22, Big Four, Robe Valley, and the Mount Pilchuck lookout to name a few. It is great to have access to such beautiful wilderness at our back door.