Silver Star Mountain via Bluff Mountain was an interesting experience. Getting my little Honda Fit up to the trailhead was an ordeal. We had to get out of the car to kick away a lot of rocks and branches to accommodate the five inches of clearance. It took us much longer than we had planned and when we finally reached the trailhead at 5:30pm, we were the only vehicle in the parking lot that wasn't a truck.
As we pulled on our packs in the parking lot, I noticed something that I don't usually see in the wild areas of the Pacific Northwest: litter. Also, the ground was covered with bullet casings.
The first three miles were on an old ATV path. We passed several hunters in full camouflage on their way out, making sure to pull up our masks each time since we were passing within six feet. None of them bothered to do the same and we got some looks.
We passed some discarded Skoal cans and lids and some more hunters who were heading in the same direction. They asked if we were planning to come back through, and didn't seem happy that we were. They trailed us for a while until we finally lost them. I was relieved that we were both wearing brightly colored backpacks.
The trail was narrow and involved pushing through a lot of vegetation, but the views of the basin and Bluff Mountain were spectacular. Wildflower season just won't quit this year. We summited Silver Star Mountain about a half hour before sunset and had the whole place to ourselves for about fifteen minutes, which is rare for such a popular destination (most people come in from a different trail). Then we headed back and finished the hike by headlamp in the dark.
By the time we got back to the car, it was around 9:30pm and I wasn't looking forward to driving back down the unimproved road in the dark. I floated the idea of sleeping in the car until first light but Joanna wanted dinner. Our remaining carrot-coconut energy bites weren't going to cut it.
We inched down the road, glad that we wouldn't have to contend with oncoming traffic. That was when we almost plowed into a convoy of about fifteen pickup trucks. The road was narrow so we got over as far as we could but most of the trucks made a show of peeling out as they drove by, kicking up gravel and dust. There were lots of Trump 2020 bumper stickers and even a Trump flag attached to one of the truck beds. One of the older trucks had a front fender that was only attached on one side and was swinging around freely. Seeing our small city car on this rough road late at night got a lot of puzzlement and laughter from the young drivers and passengers. One fellow paused as he drove by to ask if we were lost — a fair question.
In their wake, they left beer cans in the bushes and on the road. I was so glad that we hadn't tried to sleep at the trailhead.
My GPS routed us onto an even rougher road, with deep swells and pits. Joanna thought it was like trying to drive on the ocean, if it were solid. It took us an hour to drive three miles and my front bumper hit the ground a few times, but we finally made it out.
Would I recommend this trail? It is beautiful. But it felt like we were stepping on a lot of people's toes by being there.