Trip report by: Bryan Parks & Susy Munk
"I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend."
This hike is one of the better hikes in Eastern Washington (especially in the summer). We set out for Abercrombie Mountain late Saturday afternoon in the car. It took us two hours from Spokane to reach the logging road at Leadpoint, then another hour worming our way up the rocky switchbacks to get to the Forest Service trailhead.
Photos: The meadow near our campsite; the trail up to Mt. Abercrombie; rock cairn at the summit.
Being that this is a free-range area, we soon came across a small band of cows grazing alongside the road -- our first sight of wildlife! The adult cows were smart enough to get off the road to let us pass, but a pair of older calves kept running along the road in front of us, despite numerous honks from the car horn. As we came around a switchback and headed into a sharp bend in the road, we commented on the younger animals' apparent stupidity in not following the older animals' example.
No sooner had we commented, when we cleared the bend and were stopped cold about 20 yards short of a large bull staring defiantly at us. The calves weren't so dumb after all! A few honks resulted in no response from the bovine armored tank, so we decided to move forward in an attempt to intimidate him. After advancing a few feet, the bull started moving toward us. At this point, we became acutely aware that the Geo Metro wouldn't do so well against an irritated bull, so I quickly backed up around the bend, turned around at the switchback, and waited to see if the bull would continue its pursuit. 
With no sight of the big boy after a few minutes, we crept back up the road and found the bull directing his herd into the woods, allowing us to move on to the trailhead. At the trailhead, we slapped on some DEET and sun block 45, strapped on our packs and headed up the overgrown logging road.
There are several points along this mile-and-a-half portion of Trail 117 to fill up a water bottle, and most of the stretch is young, thick, deciduous growth akin to bushes. The old logging road turns into a traditional trail, bounded by spruces and pines, just before it intersects with Trail 119. At this point, we were left wondering where the supposed campsites had been that our trailguide had indicated being along 117. With sunset due in an hour, we dropped our packs at the trail intersection and headed in either direction down 119 to find an adequate campsite.
It took only a few minutes for Susy to find a lush sloping meadow only 200 yards down the North Fork Silver Lake Trail. Reluctant to damage the beautiful meadow, we waded gingerly into the thigh-high meadow grasses, the dense purple lupine, and the blood-red skyrocket toward a small stand of spruce up to the left of us about 80 yards.
The presence of a rock firepit told us that others had camped there before, and for good reason--a flat bed of pine needles big enough for a small tent and protected by the grove of trees, a great view of bald-topped Abercrombie to the east, and a breathtaking view to the southwest as far as the eye could see. Susy had done an outstanding job of finding us a camp.
We set up the tent, and after a hot meal, sat and watched the sun set over the distant mountain range...perhaps the North Cascades? After bear-bagging our food and cooking gear, we bedded down for the night. Through our mesh tent, we watched the tall trees swaying drunkenly in the cool night breeze, lightly raining us with needles. The cloudless sky was thick with stars, and a lone cricket kept us company throughout the night.
We woke before sunrise, and after some hot cocoa and fruit I made my way back down 117 to load up on water while Susy broke down camp. The sunrise over Abercrombie was beautiful, and as I made my way down the trail, the sun's rays refracted off the thousands of fresh spider-strings crossing the trail. I had to walk to the creek with a hand in front of me all the way to keep the morning sun and morning webs out of my eyes.
A half-hour later we were all packed up and ready to go. Making our way up Trail 119, we took our time and enjoyed the great views around us. The further up the mountain we went, the thinner the forest became. Lupine and aster were everywhere, and after a series of long switchbacks, we came upon a small family of ptarmigans, cloaked in their summer colors of mottled brown and white. They were not especially fearful of us--a hen and her young puffball-yellow chick stood curiously on a log no more than two feet from us. After a minute, though, the hen chirped a warning to her chick, which lowered its head and barrelled clumsily across the log to its mother, then followed the rest of the group into the grass and trees.
Further up the dry rocky mountainside, we noticed numerous little frogs crawling here and there along the trail, as well as a variety of butterflies flitting among the flowers. And considering that the mosquitos we had encountered the night before seemed to have stayed behind, we felt as if we had chosen the perfect time to be here. Yellow pine chipmunks scuttled back and forth across the trail as we made our way to the rocky ridge of the mount, and our first glimpse of the landscape to the east.
We were greeted to the ridge by the first of many rock cairns, as well as a rocky mountain-garden, dominated by the purples of aster and lupine, the brilliant scarlet of Indian paintbrush, bright yellow clusters of hawk's beard, and a scattering of snowy staffs of bear grass, delicate blue larkspur, and orange tigerlilies. Everywhere we looked, fat little promiscuous bumble-bees were visiting every blossom on the hilltop.
A half-mile to the north, overlooking all this activity, the stony apex of Abercrombie awaited. The final ascent to the mountain top was relatively steep, so we stashed our packs behind a tree, loaded up a fanny-pack with food and water and began our climb. The hot sun was now high over us, and as we crested the mountain, the meadows came to an abrupt end. In its place, a field of flat pieces of shale dominated, crunching beneath our feet like broken china. The redness of these sliced rocks gave the appearance of shattered pottery, and man-made cairns were everywhere, along with the remnants of a small lookout.
We sat down at the edge of the mountain top, looking out over the surrounding peaks -- views which extended into Canada to the north, Idaho to the east, and as far as the North Cascades to the west. We sat and had lunch while a handful of white butterflies chased each other about the cliff's edge. The moment was all ours as we took in the sights of the local hills and valleys, with only the slight whoosh of the mountain breezes and the buzzing of bees and flies to break the silence.
After an hour or so at the top, we began our descent back to the car. We looked over all the trail sights one more time and loaded up on the cool mountain-creek water before loading up the car and heading back down into the daily routine of our everyday lives.
Getting there: Abercrombie is in the northeastern corner of Washington. From Spokane, you can take Hwy 395 north to Colville, then head north on the Colville-Aladdin-Northport Road until you run into the Deep Lake Boundary Road. Follow the DLB Road to Leadpoint, then take a right and head up the mountain (keep left). The road ends at the trailhead. There are other approaches to the mountain as well. More detail can be found in "100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest" (Hike #9) by the Mountaineers. Early- to mid-summer would be the best time to go - with all the wildflowers in bloom.
Note: This is backcountry wilderness travel. Any trail can become very dangerous in winter conditions. You are responsible for informing yourself of the hazards and taking the necessary precautions. Please read Terms of Use.