Silver Star Mountain

We accessed Trail 180F from the Grouse Vista trailhead.

This is my first time up to Silver Star, a popular hike in these parts. I was to learn just how popular a bit later. It's a steep uphill to start, with enough branches sticking into the trail to be a minor annoyance. The difficulty lay in the rocks and large gravel covering much of the trail. You'll want stiff soled shoes or boots for this hike, along with a pair of hiking poles for the way down.

After hiking for nearly a mile in the trees, we broke out to magnificent views and a fantastic wildflower bloom. After alternating between trees and exposed trail, we made it to the top. St. Helens, Rainier, Adams, Hood and Jefferson were all in view. Unfortunately, there was too much haze for my photos of Jefferson to turn out. The other peaks were visible, but I've had better pictures. Nonetheless, the view was stunning. The crowd was as well. There were as many as two dozen persons on the peak while I was up there. The tourists who were yelling in an attempt to imitate a cough drop ad didn't improve the environment.

But there was lots of bear grass and other plants in bloom. Plenty of different butterflies as well along the trail. I'll have to return soon during the bloom, but on a weekday instead.