I had not been up the Mountain Loop Highway on the Granite Falls side all year. At first the group planned a trip up the recently reopened Walt Bailey Trail but that fell apart and I was left on my own. A report from two days earlier said there was a foot of new snow on Mt. Dickerman. That is a fun trip after the first snow fall. Great views from the top and still easy until the snow begins to pile up. An early morning check of the weather showed a forecast for a sunny afternoon and winds of 15-19 mph. I almost switched destinations as the summit would be frigid with high winds and snow. I'm glad I didn't.

Out of town at 7:40 brought me to the Dickerman trailhead just after 9:00. I was on the trail soon after. There were already 6 or 7 other cars in the lot. One woman took off a few minutes before me. The trail is in excellent shape. Dickerman gains 3900' in about 4 1/2 miles. It is consistently steep though never overly steep. I set a good pace but I could not catch the woman ahead of me. I took a short stop at the first viewpoint. Vesper and Sperry plus Big Four were visible though tree branches. The view is definitely getting closed out by forest.

Just after the old 2 mile marker is the big rock and a few minutes later is a nice viewpoint of Big Four, Sperry, and Vesper. Fresh snow blanketed all three. The creek at the waterfall was barely running. There was some snow from there on up. It was mostly covering the ground at the winter route turn off. In the graveled trail section in the meadow I found some ripe berries right on the trail. The snow was icy slush but no problem with poles. I brought Yak Trax but there were still bare spots in the trees so I left them in my pack.

Up on the ridge I had my first look across Perry Creek to Stillaguamish Peak. The ridge to the peak was all under snow. The trail traverses east and there were more berries here. I had some but planned to do some grazing on the way down. Where the route pops out into the open below the summit I caught up with the other hiker. Two more hikers were stopped just above. I went on by and began the switchbacks up the slope. Poles were very helpful as the track was packed down and slick.

I reached the summit to find three other hikers enjoying the views. And what views we had. Trees blocked Big Four, Vesper, Sperry, and Del Campo but from Bald Mountain to Three Fingers, Whitehorse, Baker, Shuksan, Whitechuck, Dome, Forgotten, Stillaguamish, Glacier, Sloan, and the Monte Cristos the views were spectacular. Fresh snow put a coating of white over the peaks which were largely bare rock just a week ago. I found about a 5 mph wind on the summit but it quickly died out and never returned. Not a cloud in the sky and no wind. Much better than the forecast.

I arrived at about 11:20 making it 2:10 to the top. Not a bad time at all with the slicker upper slopes. The parade began soon after. I met Aussie of nwhikers among the crowd. I also met Chris who often visits my website. I met him on Dirty Face Peak and corresponded via email just a few weeks ago. It is a small world. With nearly ideal conditions I stayed on top longer than I had planned. In fact, three hours went by all too fast. At 2:20 I packed up and headed down.

Views to the south were washed out by the morning sun coming up but were much better in the afternoon. I made slow progress on the southern slope as the camera kept coming out. I stayed slow on the westward traverse as there are still a lot of ripe berries right on the trail. I never left the trail and spent a while grazing the sweet berries. Finally with the views and berries behind me it was time to pick up the pace.

I made good time and was near the junction with the old trail when I was stung by a hornet. We had been discussing fall hornet stings and I mentioned I had made it through this year. Well, not quite. Ten minutes later I was back at the car. The lot has been expanded by about 22 spaces. There is a new board on the other end and I went over to take a look. This will soon be the new Perry Creek Trailhead. The old road up Perry Creek will be closed down. I found the trail though the very start has not yet been made obvious.

This may have been the best day of the year to be on a mountain top. Cool on the climb but sunny with no wind on the summit. Just enough snow to provide great contrast on the surrounding peaks but not enough to make the hike difficult. On the way down the snow was rapidly melting on the trail. The trail itself will likely be mostly snow free in a few days. What a terrific day to be out hiking.

30 photos have been posted at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips-2009" on the left margin.

Mild precipitation turned to snow at around the half way point. Blueberry fields were completely snowed over with a few sticking up that were quickly sampled.
Peak was a good 12 inches of snow and well under the clouds. Slippery rocks and roots made the trail a challenge but still a good time.

If you're looking for fall color, this is the place to be! Purples and yellows and reds, and of course, the ubiquitous greens clap you in the eye like a Christmas fruitcake you might actually consider eating this time around. A magical place, the Dickerman meadows are, and they make the long trudge through the dark lower forest so very worth it.

And what a trudge it is. I swear those muthas at the USFS add a couple more switchbacks to the trail on a yearly basis: the last time I counted, there were 56 of them in the lower trees, each one designed to make you grumpier than the last. It's a plot, you see, to keep the noobs from mashing the alpine areas above into dust, and to save all those yummy huckleberries for the stouter of heart.

With an elevation gain of 3800 feet over 4.3 miles, the Mt Dickerman trail is a workout for everyone but athletes. Pulling into the newly-refreshed trailhead at 8:30 am, there was but one other car in the lot, so I knew solitude was afoot. The rangers, to their credit, also cleaned up the privvy during the course of the upgrades, which is no small feat. For those of you in the know, in addition to Dickerman having the pretty alpine meadows, also has the distinction of sporting the gnarliest smelling crapper on the entire Mountain Loop Highway. Also a plot, I'm sure.

But for Mt Dickerman, persistence is key, and the destination is the reward. Before the canopy turns alpine, there isn't much to see. But at the end....wow.

2.5 hours up, 3 hours down, due to frequent huckleberry interludes.

Almost didn't hike Mt. Dickerman today, bruised and sore as I was from my hike to Foggy Pass/Gothic Basin yesterday. But dawn brought clear, crisp skies and a promise of spectacular 360 views, so I couldn't pass it up. Faithful little Daphne, my Black Lab, and I started at dawn and had the summit to ourselves by 9:20 am. Of course, I started to wonder about two hours into the hike, who in the world would willingly tromp nearly 4000 vertical feet just for a view? Obviously, thousands do and with very good reason.

The view from the summit of Mt. Dickerman is unsurpassed, with all the nearby (and far away) glaciated peaks shining in the mid-morning sun, including Baker and Shuksan to the northwest, Glacier to the northeast, and Rainier to the south. Nearer peaks include Three Fingers and Whitehorse to the northwest; Mt. Forgotten to the north with White Chuck and Pugh beyond; Lost Creek Ridge to the northeast; Sloan and the Monte Cristo group to the east; Sperry, Morning Star, and Del Campo to the south; Big Four to the southwest with Pilchuck, the Sound, the Olympics and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness beyond.
Trail Notes: The trail is in excellent condition and very straight-forward, with only one downed trunk you'll have to crawl over near the end of the hike. The first hour is quite steep but switchbacks make it feel only moderately strenuous as you ascend through subalpine firs and cedars. The trail levels out for a while around 4500 feet and there you'll start to encounter plenty of ripe, luscious berries. After this brief lull, the trail steepens again for the final mile, but the gradually unfolding views entice you all the way to the top. You'll pass several tiny rivulets, clear pools, and even a small waterfall en route to the summit, so no need to bring more than 500-700 ml of water for your dog.

Hiking this early in the day, I encountered no one until half-way back to my car, and even then, by 11:10 am, I'd passed only 9 other hikers. A great strategy to avoid the crowds.

ROUND-TRIP DISTANCE: 8.6 miles
TIME IN: 2 hr, 40 min
TIME OUT: 1 hr, 30 min
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 3923 ft (1800-5723 ft)