Mount Ellinor #812

We began our trip on the road, about a mile below the Lower Mount Ellinor trailhead. On arrival about 9:15 AM our car was one of maybe a half dozen. The walk to the lower trailhead was easy, mostly dry with a few snow patches - cars will be driving this soon. After a hundred yards or so of snow, the trail is snow-free and in good shape for perhaps a half mile, then it disappears under the snow for the rest of the trip. After several days of dry weather, the boot tracks were easy to follow through the woods. We left any clouds and fog below us at about 3000' and had clear blue sky the rest of the way up - a beautiful day. Slogging up the shoot was warm work, but the scenery more than compensated. From the top the Olympics were out in full glory sporting the typical springtime snowpack. Eastward was blue sky floored by a deck of low cloud stretching away to the horizon. Mount Rainier was faintly visible in the haze above this deck. The slide down the chute was excellent - no rocks exposed and the slide not too deep yet. Fog enveloped us during our return through the woods. The automobile population had increased to perhaps 20 by the time we reached the car. A fine start to the 2000 season for us.