Mount Si

1st trip up Mt Si. Beautiful weather on this day. It was quite warm, perhaps high 80's? Parking lot looked smaller than the 175 spaces advertised or maybe there were more spaces around a corner? Arrived at 11:30am, there were couple spaces for me and my compact car. Trailhead was easy enough to find, I just followed the others.

The elevation gain starts immediately and doesn't relent. I kind of like this because the John Muir trail in Yosemite goes flat in some places, steeper in others. It's actually easier to develop a rhythm when the hike is consistent because you know what's coming. The trail is maintained pretty much the same way throughout, which is, rocky, not paved. I was half expecting some areas near the beginning of the hike to have easier access since I read somewhere about making the bottom part wheelchair accessible.

The little area called "Snag Flat" is a lovely little area with boardwalk with a bench at the end of it. A great place for a couple or small family to rest and have a snack. This is near the half way point, although there aren't any views to be had here.

The first really nice view occurs right in front of the 3.5 mile marker. It's a beautiful view of southern WA, which if you move a little higher, can see Mt Rainier in the background.

Other reviews I read were a bit deceiving as for the time. I read many reviews saying it took them 4 hours round trip. I suppose if you avoided the Haystack this would be doable, but you are missing out on the best part so I don't really consider this a complete trip.

The Haystack is a tall intimidating, daunting wall of rock that must be climbed in order to reach the highest part. It's entirely doable by inexperienced climbers. I saw a father with 2 kids aged 7 and 11 go up to the top so it's far from impossible. I can see how many people would turn around at this point because I almost did, but once you are on the rock face and realize that it's not too bad, you can proceed.

I must say, you should be a little bit crazy to climb the Haystack. It really is quite steep and people have died doing it, although the last person to do so, was not very smart, having done it during icy conditions. Your shoes should have fairly good tread. Mine were kind of worn, which made my adventure a little more tricky. I would compare this part with doing the cables at Half Dome. It is not for those with fear of heights.

Once you get to the top, which took me about an hour, you are treated to the most spectacular views. There is perhaps another 30 feet of climbing after the Haystack, but it's not bad at all. Most people are not willing to climb the extra 30 feet and are content. However, if you do climb to the upmost peak, at the top you'll find a small plastic container which includes a pen and paper to write your name to add to the pile of names already inside the container. A beautiful view of Mount Rainier was accessible as there were only some clouds.

Once you reach the top there is a little trail that leads to a smaller peak. I didn't go there. The views from the very top were enough for me and I was getting a little tired. Going back down was easy. I went on my bottom, which won't earn you any style points, but it's safer and more comforting going down this way. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get down from the very top.

If you are planning to climb the Haystack, plan on at least 5 hours round trip. It could take longer, depending on how many people are there. The Haystack is a potential bottleneck because there isn't much space, so if someone is coming up, you have to wait, unless you want to try to go around them, which I don't. Fortunately, I went at a time when more people were going up than going down, so I didn't have to wait much.

Next time I have to scope out the restaurants before hiking so I can have a place to goto for a nice hot meal after the long hike. North Bend is a small town with a quaint atmosphere and they are celebrating 100 years of existence or something like that (banners everywhere).