Tonga Ridge, Mt. Sawyer

Mt. Sawyer is an offshoot to the Tonga Ridge Trail, the easiest and most popular ridge walk on the west side of the Cascades. There are plenty of grand views, beautiful meadows, and flowers. The trailhead is at 4300' and the first 200' of the hike begins on an old fire trail climbing to the ridge crest. It then turns into forest, winding through woods and following the ridge top in meadows. After about 1 hour go left at a pink ribbon onto a trail going up to Mt. Sawyer. The first 100-200 feet of the trail up Mt. Sawyer (5501') are very steep, a little discouraging, but mellows out to a more moderate uphill grade. This offshoot trail is the place to go if you want to get away from the crowds on Tonga Ridge. Mountain blueberries and huckleberries are in abundance on the exposed slope. We managed to pick 4 cups to make homemade cobbler and eat our fill as well. The bugs weren't bad but I did get bitten a few times while berry picking. There is evidence of bear scat on the trail and it looks like they have been eating berries, also. The trail continues up and around the peak, becoming narrower and overgrown at the top. Panoramic views of the mountains and valleys can be seen.