The view from Pugh seems too good to be true! The Olympics, Three Fingers, Baker, Shuksan, Rainier, Stuart, the Monte Cristo massif, and nearly every peak ringing the Mountain Loop Highway are in full view from this cloud-piercing peak. Rising over 7000 feet, this lofty summit provides one of the best alpine showings in all of western Washington. And even with its crowded field of summit stars, Glacier Peak dominating the eastern horizon steals the show. Snowy, showy Sloan Peak makes a stellar appearance as well.

Before beginning, let's make one thing perfectly clear. This is an extremely difficult and taxing hike. From trailhead to summit, over 1 vertical mile is gained. Parts of the trail, blasted into rock ledges to provide access to a long-gone lookout, are exposed and can be downright frightening (and dangerous in bad conditions and for inexperienced hikers). But a hiker in good physical shape, conditioned for scrambling, and setting off in ideal weather conditions can expect to return home both beat and content-glowing from completing one of the most exhilarating and satisfying hikes in all of the Cascades.

The trail starts off easily enough. On good tread and under a magnificent canopy of old growth, the trail nonchalantly travels 1.5 miles to Lake Metan, gaining a modest 1300 feet along the way. Not much of a lake, the small pool provides the last reliable water and a good view up massive Mount Pugh. The trail goes up that?!

Still on good tread and still under majestic ancient trees, the route steepens. Switchbacks shorten. Up. Up. Up. At 3.1 miles break out of forest to a jumble of boulders at the base of steep talus and avalanche slopes (elev. 4900 ft). The trail gets even steeper, now on rocky tread as it works its way up the harsh slope. Emerging views distract you from your toil. So too do a myriad of wildflowers painting the rough terrain. At 3.8 miles reach 5750-foot Stujack Pass, a notch of a gap on Pugh's northwest shoulder. Admire White Chuck Mountain to the north, while cool air from permanent snowfields below refreshes you.

Start working your way eastward, entering the Glacier Peak Wilderness (how about expanding it to protect all of that old growth below?) and climbing higher. Up steep heather slopes, but still on fairly decent tread, the way soon rounds a bend to reveal Pugh's intimidating summit block and an impressive glacier wedged beneath it. At 4.2 miles reach the remnants of an old tram (elev. 6200 ft) once used to levitate supplies to the summit lookout. Most hikers will want to stop here, fully content with their 4300 feet of climbing and amazing views spread out before them.

Sure-footed scramblers may proceed along a knife edge that precipitously drops off to the glacier on one side and the Sauk River valley on the other. But the real heart-racing section is next. Using hands, ascend a steep and exposed "cleft" that was blasted into a vertical ledge above the glacial trough. Carefully cross a short section of trail that has slid off-always difficult, and extremely dangerous when snow-covered.

But if you can negotiate all of this, the remaining route is relatively smooth sailing, albeit steep. At 5.5 linear miles and 1 vertical mile, arrive at the glorious 7201-foot summit of Mount Pugh. Plop yourself down on one of its massive shiny granite shards and soak up as much scenery as possible before your head explodes from taking in so many summits. Don't forget to bring a map-one for the entire national forest-to help you fully appreciate everything spread out before and below you.