Snow level has moved up to 4300 feet which is shortly after crossing stream below waterfall. The step in the shortcut gully is melting out and will be suitable for only another week or so.Sections of the upper trail are beginning to melt out as well.

Look out for the ""killer"" ptarmigan.We startled each other on the trail and she flew at me 3 times before retreating to the brush.This was the first aggressive bird I've ever encountered.Never did see what she was defending!

The first switchback of this trail is the finest in the whole of the Darrington District. The tread is so smooth, it's like walking on silk. The crib walls are sublime and each stream- crossing is a poem of perfectly placed rocks. The grade is gradual and the outslope outstanding. I would recommend just walking back and forth along this length of trail a dozen times then going home.

But if you do go beyond the first switchback you'll find that the Darrington crew has logged out the trail already this year. Not once did I scratch my chubby little thighs stepping over a log. There's still plenty of snow on the trail. The major gully crossing is at its most dangerous right now. The snow has melted out over the ravine below the trail, but the melt line hasn't reached the trail-bed yet. Your only choices are to try and climb down through the ravine and back up (very dangerous and difficult), or to cross the steep snow well above the melt-out line. If you do the latter, stay high, kick solid steps and carry an ice-ax. If you slide the run-out will take you down into the ravine - a good 15-20 foot drop into the rocks. The snow bridge will likely break-out over the trail this week. Try not to be on it when it happens - hike with a fat friend.

There is continuous snow beyond with lots of kick-stepping to be done. Others' steps were melting out fast so I had to kick my own. The rock out-cropping on the summit ridge is exposed, but the rest of the ridge is still covered and corniced. There's some nice glissading on the way back down. I was wearing my all-to-thin nylon shorts so I practiced by standing glissades. The glissade down the short-cut gully is a must. It is now a long deep trough with high banks like a bobsled run. I had to sit down for that one. It was a thrilling ride, but my buns were numb-er-than-novocaine when I stood up.

First day of summer in the Puget Sound, time for a hike. Only one car at the brand new trailhead. We started through dense second and third growth, admiring all the work done connecting new trail to old. The trail does some nifty switchbacking up a steep hillside, dodging cliffs and waterfalls. At about two miles snow appears, and soon becomes constant. The trail is well beaten. We certainly enjoyed the hard step work the guys in front of us put in. This trail is not as steep as maps would indicate. After several false summits, we stood atop the real one. The rave about this hike certainly is accurate. This is one of the most complete views of the southern part of Darrington Ranger District available. A true 360 degree panorama, I shot 24 exposures without even trying. We met some other mountain men, told stories, and laughed until we cried. Alas, we had to leave. I had just finished telling someone that I thought I would rather see a bear in the woods than a rottweiler, just because they seem more predictable, when I looked up to see a big brown dog growling and bluff-charging me. I held my ice axe in front of me, trying to decide my defense strategy. Finally the old woman got her dog by the collar, and we passed very wide. Five minutes later, it happened with another dog. Being informed that the dogs were ""afraid"" of me just reinforced my belief that most dogs should not be in the woods. They get confused. If you cannot control your dog, then put him on a leash.

This is a classic last spring snowclimb for those equipped with an ice axe and willing to slog up the snowfields. Snow becomes nearly continuous at 3600'. The ""shortcut"" route to the top up a gully is still the way to go. It was really fantastic! I met one of the famous Bulger climbers on the summit.

The hike up took 2.5 hours, but the trip down took 14! I heard a whistle on the way down, and found a party with an injury. By the time he was evacuated by helicopter 9 hours later (thanks to some great work by SAR and a group of Mountaineers), the snow had hardened to ice (it was midnight). So we had a fun time descending, and got out to the cars at 4:30am.

I hope the hikers today enjoy the hand-shoveled paths across a couple gullies! And I hope the injured person recovers completely and can continue enjoying the great outdoors...