Plan B, C, and Burritos

Snow, swallows, and the wisdom of turning around

The plan was simple: a spring push up to Red Top Lookout. April in the Cascades can be a gamble, but optimism usually wins out over experience at 5:30 in the morning.

Forest Road 9738 had other ideas.

By the time I reached about 3,800 feet, winter was still firmly in control. A thin layer of snow covered the road, just enough to hide what mattered most—mud. The kind that doesn’t look like much until you’re stuck in it. I found a safe place to turn around, stepped out into the cold, and took stock.

It was quiet in that way only a snowy forest can be. Then, from somewhere in the pines, the soft, whistling notes of a Pine Grosbeak drifted through the air. A Cassin’s Finch answered from deeper in the trees. Not a bad consolation prize.

Still, this wasn’t the day for Red Top. Not yet.

Plan B: Northern Pacific Railroad Ponds

Plan B took me down to the Northern Pacific Railroad Ponds near Cle Elum—a reliable spot when the mountains say “not today.”

It was quiet. Not empty, just subdued. Spring hadn’t fully committed yet.

Above the river, swallows filled the sky—Tree, Violet-green, and Northern Rough-winged—slicing through the cold air in effortless arcs. There’s something reassuring about swallows in April. No matter what the weather is doing, they’ve already decided it’s spring.

On the water, Ring-necked Ducks and Bufflehead drifted past, unbothered by the temperature. I pulled my jacket tighter as the snow started falling again. Winter, reminding everyone it still had a say.

A few hundred feet up the road, I found the osprey nest. One bird stood watch, hunched slightly against the cold, waiting for a season that hadn’t quite arrived yet.

That felt like enough.

Plan C: The Smartest Plan

Sometimes the best plan is the one that admits the day for what it is.

Plan C was simple: burritos from Señor Bones, a stop at Starbucks, and a warm drive home.

There’s a certain satisfaction in calling it early—not as a defeat, but as a pivot. The mountains will still be there. The road will melt out. Red Top Lookout isn’t going anywhere.

And honestly, a warm house and lunch with the family has a pretty strong pull.

If You Go

Red Top Lookout (via Forest Road 9738)

• Early season access is highly variable

• Snow can linger well into late spring above ~3,500 ft

• Mud under snow = high risk for getting stuck

• Check recent trip reports—mid-February closures can extend longer than expected

Northern Pacific Railroad Ponds (Cle Elum)

• Great Plan B birding location year-round

• Spring highlights: swallows, waterfowl, early migrants

• Osprey often return early but may still be dealing with cold snaps

• Can be exposed—bring layers even in April

Senor Bones (https://senorbones.com)

Some days are about miles and summits. Others are about listening to a grosbeak in a snowy forest and knowing when to turn around.

This one was the latter.