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.