I joined Suzanne, Barry, David, and Lauren for an early winter assault on Mt. Pilchuck. Last fall I hiked up Pilchuck for the first time in half a dozen years. The mountain was a sheet of ice. I have been up to the lookout many times but never on snow. This would be my first snow trip. With the snow level around 3000' the past few days there was a little concern about reaching the parking lot. The road is in much better than usual shape and we hit snow several hunded feet below the 3150' lot. We pulled in to find a solid six inches of snow. With two all wheel drive vehicles we did fine. Barry and I had to push the next arrival into a space. There were five vehicles in all that arrived nearly at once. We were the first to hit the trail at about 9:00 am.

The first bit of old road was wet and slushy. Things improved when we started up the real trail. There was only about 4 inches of snow in the trees and we set a good pace. We were in the clouds and views out provided only different shades of gray. The trail is in fine shape with the exception of one large tree which has fallen across the route. We all managed to hoist ourselves over it. At the switchback in the talus field we were on snow with rocks still poking through. A minimal trench still existed from the day before but overnight snow filled it in mostly. Barry and Suzanne took off around here and we did not see them again until the top.

Another group with two guys and Jasper the dog caught up and stayed near us the rest of the way to the top. Some light snow fell but it was not bad and the wind remained light. We had none of the views one expects from this trail but the snow provided a white and gray beauty of its own. I could not see very far and it was hard to spot any landmarkds. The latest version of the trail remains pretty tame though we had to gain 2200' in just under 3 miles. Many switchbacks, some hard to see, took us higher on the mountain.

We finally crossed over the ridge and began to traverse to the south side of the peak. We saw a number of icicles and some were really spectacular. Even as we neared the lookout it was still not visible. We were very close before its frozen white shape was seen. Suzanne's dog Gusto was not going to be negotiating the frozen snow covered rocks and icy steps to the lookout this day. Barry had been up and they were just below when we arrived.

I went after one of the other party and David and Lauren followed me. The boulders were very slick and large voids were hidden by a light coating of snow. I slowly worked my way up the rocks and was very careful on the icy ladder. The south side of the walkway was very windy. We huddled on the east side and David reached up to upen the door. With the shutters locked down ove the windows there is a "doggy door" opening one can crawl through to get inside. It was much warmer in there. I did the climb to the lookout without gloves to keep them dry on the wet rocks and my hands were flash frozen. They warmed quickly in the lookout with gloves on.

Suzanne and Barry headed down as we broke out our lunches. Soon it was time to depart. There is a small whisk broom inside we used to brush out all the snow we tracked in. The railing and guy wires of the lookout were covered in rime ice. Visibility was about 75'. We slowly crawled down the ladder and the boulders and prepared for our descent. It took about 2:15 coming up. We expected the descent to be much faster. It was.

Coming down we met a number of hardy souls slogging through the snow. Many were woefully unprepared for a full on winter hike. Blue jeans are not a good idea and packs are. The benign days of summer and fall are over. Lower down the fluffy white snow we trod through earlier was brown slick slush. Slick but not bad enough to add any traction devices. We reached the parking lot in 1:30. It was still only 1:00 pm.

This was a fun trip. Enough snow to make an easy trail seem like a bit of an adventure but not so much as to require snowshoes. The avalanche danger was near zero and that won't be the case for Pilchuck much longer. Nor is the road likely to be open for long. All in all, we had a good time.

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

It was raining hard at the trailhead at 10 am when we started the hike. After pulling on our rain gear, we started out. Not long after, we had to cross a stream. After we crossed it, we began hiking in one; or at least it seemed so. There was a lot of water coming downhill, and most of it seemed to be using the trail as its watercourse. The trail was very sloppy for the most part.

Our hike to the top took about 1 hr and 45 minutes, and about 20 minutes from the top we were in snow. We were hiking in it plus it was coming down. As we neared the old fire lookout building, we had to do a scramble over large boulders while it was snowing and blowing. The lookout was closed up but accessible. Needless to say, the view was non-existent.

We were the first ones on the trail, and we saw a few hardy souls while we were on our way down.

A friend of mine suggested this hike and what a great idea this was. Mt Pilchuck turned out to be just what I wanted on a cold sunny October Sunday morning. The trail is very well maintained, although it is not an easy one mostly due to its terrain. You could find everything here within a few hundred yards: mud, water, rocks, boulders, ice and snow. The hike was fairly steep, but short, and changes in terrain sure kept your attention focused on the trail. This is not a trail where you can enjoy the beauty while walking. One needs to stop to enjoy the views to avoid any injuries.

Mt Pilchuck is a very busy trail indeed. There were plenty of people at the top early in the morning and even more coming up on our way down. The views are truly majestic, so pick a clear day and come on down to Mt Pilchuck to play.

First time up the mountain and what a beautiful hike and mountain it is. The trail is in great shape and it was a fun cool morning hike. The north side of the mountain through the rock fields was very slippery with the morning dew and some ice. Careful footing was required to keep one's feet. The way down was much easier as the dew and ice for the most part was gone with the clear day.

3 hours up the trail doing taking some photos and doing a little geocaching along the way. 2 hours down to the trailhead as the late afternoon cooling was setting in.