After missing my group of hikers at the meetup in Issaquah by a few minutes I decided on coffee and the newspaper at Starbucks. I then hit the trail about 1030 for Annette Lake. The trail had the usual seasonal muddy areas and extra water but the trail is in great shape. Trekking poles were a great help on the descent and saved me a couple times even when taking care to place my steps carfully. The crossing over Humpback Creek early on in the ascent is spectacular with the view of water coming down. There was just a bit of snow at the higher elevations left over from last week but none on the trail.

The weather was clear most of the day with clouds coming and passing as I neared the lake. Once at the lake the wind picked up enough to form white caps on the water. The wind also dropped the temperature about twenty degrees from the forested trail. Since this was a weekday hike there were few people on the trail and my near hour at the lake was spent alone.

On a day like this, warm with clear skies, little wind, perfect visibility and a light dusting of snow on the tops of the tallest peaks on the I-90 corridor, it would have been an absolute shame to turn back at Annette Lake without getting in a few summit views.

I started from the parking area on NFD 5590 at 9:15am. The 3 break-ins in mid-October and shattered window glass littering the ground worried me, so I removed what little might have been remotely tempting. Next time I might just unlock my doors because a stolen radio would not bother me as much as a stolen radio and the need to replace a window.

The trail to Annette Lake itself had mostly forgettable views, but crossed quite a few streams and waterfalls of various sizes with some well-laid bridges, the most impressive being the Humpback Creek crossing near the trailhead. Waterproof footwear with good traction is necessary because of the water and mud along the entire trail. An extra pair of socks is always a good idea.

After exploring a few camping flats at the lake, I noticed beyond the trees a long, snow-covered rock scramble that rose to a ridge crest. I began climbing, bushwhacking mostly as there was no clear trail, as if the peak were challenging me. Despite the thin layer of snow, what one hiker I met called "the pretty kind, not the hard-to-walk-in kind", I was able to get somewhat sure footing with only a few slips and was able to locate and follow a couple of (perhaps just perceived) steep switchbacks and obvious cairns. Less than halfway up the ridge, on noticing a lack of progress and considering the foreshortened day since last night's time change, I decided to turn back despite the mountain's call. Near the bottom of the talus, I encountered another lone hiker with more experience and a clear mission to summit what turned out to be Silver Peak, and I asked to tag along.

Despite an indistinct trail, we ascended to the ridge through rocks when necessary and through trees and soft dirt whenever possible to give our ankles a rest. There was a slightly clearer path near the crest. Boot tracks on the summit indicated that we were probably not the first to reach the top today, but of the four people we saw until that moment, we could not figure who else might have come before. The breeze at the top was unexpectedly and unseasonably warm so there was no need for warm gear. The air only started to cool down when the sun fell behind the mountains.

Without the views of the entire I-90 corridor and beyond from the top of Silver Peak, the Annette Lake trail would have been low on my list for repeating. The ridge felt truly precarious with a sheer drop on the other side and the scramble we had just ascended behind us. Only a glimpse of Rainier rising through the mist would have improved the vista.

The 2000-foot scramble back down to Annette Lake was probably some of the most difficult climbing I have done this year, and I certainly felt more beaten-up than after any climb on Mailbox. As my companion said, I "lost a lot of skin" on the rocks from slipping and from the loose rocks sliding out from underneath. Again, we kept to the wooded areas and dirt patches when possible and followed the cairns as well as we could until we bushwhacked through the forest to rejoin the lake trail.

We arrived back at the trailhead at 5:15pm. The last quarter mile had been almost dark and had become cold. The spectacular sunset behind McClellan Butte with the full moon rising behind me on the drive toward Seattle provided a fitting end for one of the most challenging and breathtaking hikes along the corridor.

Ralph and I went in from I90, Exit 47 trailhead access and followed the well maintained trail to Annette lake. There we took some pictures and then backtracked on the trail to an open area leading to the ridge. We traversed several boulder fields to the summit, which wasn't too bad since the rock was dry and free of moss on the open slope. Views from the top were great but the Fall-color photos we hoped to get eluded us, on the upper slopes, as Winter quickly approaches.
Going down, we thought, would be easier in the tree-line along the long boulder field. Instead the ground was damp and slippery but the pine needles and duff made for a softer landing as we slid many times before reaching the trail not far from the lake.
Total time/distance from/to the trailhead 7.5 hours/about 9 miles.

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Silver Peak and Annette Lake have been on my To Do list for a while, so my pal Ruck and I decided to visit both on a weekday through-hike. We started from Windy Pass (3820 ft) and hiked up to Silver Peak (5605 ft), then dropped down a humongous talus slope to Annette Lake (3600 ft), and hiked out to the Annette TH (1900 ft). Distance was about 8 miles, elevation gain was ~2000 ft, and downhill was ~3900 ft.

The marine layer was thick along I-90, but it was blue skies by the time we reached Windy Pass along FS 9070 (road's in fine shape, any car can make it). We started hiking the PCT (#2000) past Olallie Meadow. You can tell it's early fall, as the berries are mostly gone and the leaves are turning red. Nice woodsy hike below Silver Peak, with occasional muddy spots. Ruck got ahead of me, and I was enjoying the PCT so much that I overshot the side trail that heads up to Silver Peak. Fortunately, I stopped to admire a large tarn and checked my GPS, which has a topo map with Northwest Trails on it, and saw I had gone about 200 ft too far. Quick tip: The turnoff is somewhat indistinct, but it's marked with a cairn and is a short distance beyond the switchback section that drops you 150 ft.

The side trail was steep and a bit overgrown, requiring occasional scrambling as it gained 450 ft in half a mile, with occasional blowdowns. Once I hit the heather-and-scrub ridge and turned north toward Silver Peak, the views started coming and the meandering trail was quite pleasant. Then it was up a small talus slope, with great views back toward Mt Rainier, and through some pleasant meadows, where we had a snack before the final climb around the felsenmeer to Silver Peak summit. The 360-degree view from the top was well worth the trek - just outstanding in every direction. We could see the marine layer still thick along the I-90 corridor to the west, but everything else was blue skies.

The most challenging part of our hike came next, as we descended a 2000-ft talus slope to Annette Lake. The top section was especially tricky, with large, unstable rocks. Further down, the rocks were smaller, making for easier footing and some nice "scree ski." (We joked that if one of us fell, our SAR friend could rescue someone he knew for a change.) This section is not recommended for everyone - no trail (although there are a few cairns), and very physical.

My thigh muscles and knees were relieved when we reached Annette Lake, and we took another snack break before the final leg of our journey. The lake was quite pleasant, with a lone fisherman trying to free his line from a snag. No bugs, but also no berries. As we hiked down Annette Lake Trail (#1019), we saw several folks, the only ones we encountered all day. The trail was in great shape, with woodsy views down Humpback Creek valley. The section that crosses the power lines had been recently reworked and was less visually appealing, but Humpback Creek was lovely when we crossed the bridge near the end.

This hybrid hike turned out quite well, although it was a bit more physical than I anticipated, with magnificent views and early fall color.