5/20 Monashka Mtn Loop - All Praise to the Trail Fairies!

[mrsquishy]

I hiked the Monashka Mtn - Reservoir Ridge loop yesterday (8+ miles/3K+ total elevation gain) for the first time since the Trail Fairies had brushed the route from MM to RR. Thanks for eliminating the route-finding/bushwhacking "fun-filled" elements of the hike, although a couple times I had to wander around to pick up the trail; my intuitive path did not always match that of the Trail Fairies.
And, as usual, I had a bit of trouble picking up the path back down to Monashka Creek although I did eventually stumble onto it.
Beautiful day albeit cold NW 20mph wind, but it is absolutely bone dry in the backcountry - fire danger is extreme.
BTW, the now-drained beaver pond is showing a little growth around the edges, but is still muck for the most part.

[Philip]

Sunday Nov 2

Adelia and I did that loop today. Perfect day for hiking. Blazing sunshine, hardly a breath of wind, temps in the 30's F in the shade and it felt like 50+ F on sunny slopes. TONS of bear tracks up in the snowy spots. Everyone is wandering around looking for a midnight snack before taking a snooze.

Topping out on Monashka Mtn:



Heading down into the saddle between Monashka Mtn and the Res Ridge:



We stopped a few times to practice with the map and compass:

[Wendy A. Close Eskew]

I don't mind the "trail fairies" cutting a bit of brush here and there... But I DO NOT LIKE SEEING SPRAY PAINTED TREES AND/OR ORANGE MARKING TAPE PLASTRED ALL OVER BRANCHES EVERY  10 FEET ALL THE WAY UP A MOUNTAIN!!!!... If  a person is unable to find their way up a mountain and back again without marking it with tape... they should not really be up there! ... (and at the very LEAST they should be courteous enough to retrieve all their trash/marking tape on the way back down!  It is an eye sore seeing ANY MAN MADE OBJECTS while out mountain climbing! It would be way better if everyone would leave things untouched!...  So we do not have to LOOK at a bunch of garbage tied to tree branches pelted all over the place!...

[Philip]

What, may I ask, are you talking about with regards to Monashka?

[mrsquishy]

I did not see flagging, painting, any evidence of human impact other than footprints and the occasional trimming/brushing of vegetation on my hike. Trail Fairies would never stoop to such vandalism.

[Zack]

I just did this hike on Friday afternoon, 12/26. The images over in the "Where is the Monashka Reservoir Ridge Trail" thread were very useful, but I strayed from the path after the last point pictured. Ended up taking a shortcut to get up on the ridge before sunset, so the route was only 5 miles long. Gorgeous views, great hike. My route and a few pictures may be viewed here, more pictures and description here.

[Philip]

Coming down the Monashka Res Ridge not on the trail must have been brushy. Many years ago I came down the creek, and I'll never do that again.

[Zack]

I did the route in a clockwise direction, so I was doing my best imitation of a bulldozer up through all that cane and tall grass. It certainly was not easy, and felt like a rookie mistake. Next time I might try counter-clockwise and see if I can do a better job of staying on the trail.

[Philip]

Oh, gotcha. That sounds even worse than coming down that route though.

This thread has some good Monashka loop beta: Monashka Mtn Loop

[lindsey]

At 12:30 today (11/14/15), Kathryn S., Jen A., and I embarked on our first Monashka Loop trip as the winds had subsided and clouds had cleared out.  Not one of us had done this trail before, but I had the Gaia track from Brooks' trip with Philip so I felt pretty confident I could lead us.  We found some nice snow; it wasn't quite enough to require snowshoes, but enough to need gators.  The trail was easily identifiable as it is an animal highway.  We saw plenty of deer, rabbit, and fox tracks, but only one ptarmigan and several white rabbits. Even coming down Monashka Ridge was much easier than it was hiking the trail this past August.  With the foliage gone, the trail is easily identifiable and navigable (granted, I was using Gaia like a compass).  Jen and Kathryn were champs as I navigated us through steep climbs and bushwhacked through alder brush and forehead-high salmonberry sticks.

Jen and me almost to the top of Monashka Mtn.


The three of us on top of Monashka Mtn. and descending down the backside.
 

Back in the parking lot; headlamps guided us the last 1/2 mile or so through the trees.

[Philip]

Brilliantly done. That is one of my favorite hikes on the road system. I was actually going to do it tomorrow, to tell the truth. :^)

[lindsey]

Nov 14, 2015 21:37:34 GMT -9 Philip said:

Brilliantly done. That is one of my favorite hikes on the road system. I was actually going to do it tomorrow, to tell the truth. :^)

I saw your truck today at the trailhead today.  Did you see our tracks leading to the mess of alders and brush in the valley, heading up towards the ridge from the mountain?  I hope you thought better than following our trail when you saw what madness would ensue.  We were slightly off track...

[Philip]

Nov 15, 2015 19:28:26 GMT -9 lindsey said:

I hope you thought better than following our trail when you saw what madness would ensue.  We were slightly off track...

Yeah, I know the route pretty well and I felt bad for you guys in some of the areas where you went somewhat astray. The trail is not totally intuitive the whole way since I was linking deer trails together when I cut it, and the deer don't always walk in a straight line (though being the locals, they do know the path of least resistance). The climb from the saddle between Monashka Mtn and the reservoir ridge has a very nice route that is cut part way, and then follows an obvious creek drainage up. But unless someone points it out, it probably results in some major brush bashing. Just be glad you followed the trail down at the end. That place is a total horror show if you get off track. Yowza.

[Philip]

I did this loop again today (Saturday March 31) and it was excellent. I brought microspikes and an ice ax but needed neither. I also brought snowshoes and these were MANDATORY. The climb up Monashka Mountain from the beaver pond was pleasant and I didn't hit any real snow until on top of the steep bit at the transition to the summit ridge. I snuck around the knob on the south (sunny) side of the mountain where there was less snow and it was no problemo. Shortly thereafter I put snowshoes on and didn't take them off until I was well down on the Monashka Reservoir Ridge where I dropped into the brush. The snow was pretty deep in places and I sank in a bit and that was tiring, but if someone else goes and does the loop soon you can benefit from me punching in the trail. The weather was stunning and winds light. No bear sign. A few deer, lots of bunnies and eagles, and a few mountain goats low on the southern flanks of Monashka Mtn.

Down in the forest I heard a varied thrush (the first of the year for me) hesitantly singing about spring and about halfway up the mountain I saw my first puchkie shoot:



Southern aspects were melted out, but the ridge and northern slopes had lots of snow:

[mollio]

Did the loop yesterday. Brought snowshoes and put them on once up Monashka. It was definitely worth having them. There was enough of a snow pack that we didn't sink too much and made good time. We wore our snowshoes until we got part way down the Reservoir Ridge. Though we didn't have them, microspikes would have been nice for better traction on the lower part of the Reservoir Ridge trail since it was icy.

It was a beautiful day: sunny, cold, and surprisingly little wind.

Looking back towards Monashka

[Philip]

Friday Jan 25, 2019

It was a stunning day so I played hooky in the afternoon and did the Monashka Mtn and Reservoir loop. It was great. No problems with snow climbing up Monashka wearing MicroSpikes (highly recommended). The real snow didn't start until you are right up on the summit ridge. Then I switched to snowshoes (mandatory!) over the top and basically for most of the rest of the hike. The top of M has lovely new snow over a somewhat punchy lower crust. The skiing on the summit for about 250-350 feet down would be okay, but then it transitions right back to crust. Kind of a thin snowpack, unsurprising so close to the coast. The trail is in good shape with no real windfall or issues. Saw deer, a red fox (which had recently eaten a rabbit judging by all the blood and hair on the snow), deer, and goat tracks. No bear sign. A lovely hike!

Looking up from the end of the road:


Nearly on top:


Hiking out to the Reservoir Ridge:


Switching to snowshoes and loving the snow stuck on the trees!


Over on the Reservoir Ridge looking back at Monashka:


Headed down the Reservoir Ridge. The snow stops abruptly where the brush begins. Typical...