Trip Reports

The mountains were out today!

Brooklake Hikers (5 of us) hit the Tubal Cain Mine trail by around 10:30 AM. Lots of Rhodies in bloom along the road on drive in as well as Columbine and Paintbrush in bloom. Only a few Rhodies in bloom on early part of trail, the rest are 2 to 3 weeks out. We hiked to area of mines & elected to cross Copper Creek & continue up to open hillside to west. Trail switchbacks then heads southwest. We stopped short of Buckhorn Lake by a mile or so. Several parties coming from that direction told us none of them had made the lake. Snow gets pretty deep before the lake. Some wildflowers in bloom on open slopes, Paintbrush, Phlox, Blue Marsh Violet, etc. Great views of Mt Buckhorn, Iron Mountain, and other area peaks from there. After lunch we headed back down to check out the mines. Mine shaft at top of big scree pile east of campground. Water coming out of mine shaft about 1/2 foot deep. We tiptoed in a ways & checked out tunnel w/ headlamps. Returned to main trail & later 4 of the 5 in our group went on spur trail to Tull Canyon (small sign at fork). A Wannabe Mine shaft is just past the trail fork & only goes into the mountainside about 15 to 20 yards. We continued on the very steep Tull Canyon trail for (what seemed longer than) about 0.7 mile. We then arrived, after a creek crossing, at the wreckage of a B-17 bomber plane crash from 1952. A sombering scene, I guess 3 of the 8 people on board died. Nice views of more snow-capped peaks at south end of canyon. We explored for awhile before going back. For those that love history, lots here. We logged about 12 to 13 miles total on the day. No bugs. Finished off the day w/ the best greasy burger on Hwy 101 - Fat Smitty's. I'll sleep good tonight!

I accessed the CCC Road/Trail from the western trailhead. I was lazy so I took a chance & parked at the gate. The road/trail is easy walking w/ no hazards for the first 2.6 miles to Roaring Creek. Several creek crossings, most small, start after Roaring Creek. From there it is another 1/2 mile to the junction w/ Green Mt road/trail. I noted an old rusty gate at the Green Mt road/trail. I continued to the right on the CCC trail (which was more of a trail now). Not too long after the junction I noted a trail on the right which I had been looking out for. I believe it is a trail coming up from the Middle Fork Road that is designed as a shortcut to the Green Mt road/trail. I plan to come back later & attempt Green Mt. A few peek-a-boo views of peaks to the right, but otherwise not too exciting. Did see 2 spent balloons on the day, a Happy Birthday (which I enjoyed w/ my birthday 5 days away) and a Graduation balloon. Skies were clear & the creeks were mostly roaring with smowmelt. At Big Blowout Creek I noticed a lot of bugs. I crossed the creek & went the 0.3 mile to the junction w/ Bessemer Mt road/trail. I went up this road a few tenths of a mile to see if there would be any better views. A double trailer gravel truck came down the road and soon I was at the site of an on-going rock mining operations complete with warning signs. I turned around here; bugs were also again thick. No mosquitoes noted though. I returned the way I came. I saw no other hikers during the trip but did see a guy mt biking not far from my vehicle. I spoke w/ him & found out he was an area resident. He warned me about parking there, that the roads leading to this trailhead are private. But he was nice about it. I don't plan on parking there again, but what can I say, I was lazy & wanted to save the extra couple of miles roundtrip. Put in about 11 to 12 miles. Good exercise.

With showers forecast for most of day & especially afternoon I headed to a not-too-far-away hike in Maple Valley starting at the Lake Wilderness Park. This was the TNT hike of the week last week. Started out at Arboretum & headed to Green-to-Cedar River trail. Nothing too exciting, wide suburban gravel trail thru woods w/ homes, churches, & businesses of Maple Valley along the way. About 3 miles to junction w/ Cedar River trail where I turned around and returned.

After parting ways w/ Goober Canari & crew I decided to drive up to La Push & check out First and Second Beaches. First Beach can be driven right up to while Second Beach is a short hike. I hiked the 0.7 mile thru the forest to the beach. People have made art out of an uprooted tree along the trail by placing all manner of shells, etc in the roots. The trail has a couple of small muddy sections but is otherwise in good shape. When I reached the beach there is some driftwood to walk over, then I headed north to a natural arch. I did not head south to Teahwhit Head which is another 1.5 mile if you head all the way until it's impassible. Lots of people out beachcombing on this Memorial Day weekend (Sunday).

I accompanied Goober Canari, his son Mario, & friend JT on this 3 day hike. We started from Third Beach trailhead & proceeded thru the forest about 1.5 miles to the beach. Beautiful day out. We walked about 1/2 mile along the beach before heading back up on ropes & rope ladders into the woods & up & over Taylor Point. This stretch thru the woods was about 1.5 miles. Portions of the trail are quite muddy. We also noted a lot of floats of all various sizes, shapes, & colors along the beach & sometimes in the woods. Folks have made artwork out of many of them. We returned to the beach for a short stretch & then had to go up & around at Scott's Bluff. Returned to the beach at Scott's Creek. Took break there, cooled off in creek. We also had to go up & over a nameless point of land before continuing about 2 miles on the beach to Toleak Point. We rounded the point & camped along the southern stretch of beach. We were camped not far from a natural arch formation rock. I noted a lot of red paintbrush in bloom along the hillside & on some rocks. We later beachcombed before sunset. Saw several seals near Toleak point, including a white mother & pup. Also saw a couple of sea otters. Sunset was spectacular at Toleak Point. Later at dusk we saw some river otters going out to the ocean. Next morning we discovered which tree the bald eagles were nesting in right above our camp. Again sunny Saturday morning but clouds later moved in. We traveled a short distance down the beach & then inland. We saw a huge cedar tree along the trail. Also on this stretch we had to ford Falls Creek (not too bad) & Goodman Creek where we had to remove boots & socks as it was knee deep. When we returned to the beach it was fairly easy walking to Mosquito Creek. After a crossing of the creek on a unstable log we elected to camp up on the bluff. There are a few designated spots up there. Go to the second larger one if open. There is a table, hammock, several lines, a toilet nearby, & a rope down the steep embankment as a short cut to the beach to the south. The only downside is having to go back down to collect driftwood for the campfire. Our 15 year olds were troopers in getting water & firewood. The next day we continued on thru the forest. Right past our camp was a washout requiring a rope for a short distance. Later the trail became really muddy. Mario had a boot come off in the mud but recovered it. We then came to a larger washout requiring rope down and up. We were barely able to make it up, very slick. Later a couple went by above us on a rough bushwhacked trail. I would recommend using that if you can find it. After 3 plus miles of this trail we came to some steep rope ladders leading back down to Jefferson Beach. We took a short break, then continued on. We rounded Diamond Rock & the large boulder field right at low tide. A bit more beach walking to Hoh River where we saw civilization again across the river. Several guys fishing the river also.

Be prepared for a muddy trek on this hike as well as a couple of decent sized river crossings. Great trip with great group. Also recommend the Forks Coffee Shop/Diner for some good grub afterwards. Good time of year to do this hike as no bugs to speak of. Got lucky w/ weather as there was no rain. :)

Brooklake Hikers (10 people & 2 dogs) set out on Mt Si main trail at about 8:45 AM. Parking lot already filling up (3rd section already just about full). 3 of us decided to do Talus Loop which is off of the main trail about 0.7 mile up. It includes a viewpoint near the end of the loop on a talus rock slope. This gave us a short respite & some solitude from the crowds as we only saw about 3 other people on this loop trail. We reunited w/ the main trail right as 3 of our group were arriving there. Trail in good shape & snow free to the top. 8 of us found a nice spot for lunch out of the wind right up against the base of the haystack. The last 2 members of our group arrived shortly after. Nice view of Mt Rainier from that point. All the usual views except the Olympics which were too hazy/cloudy. After a while, 7 of us decided to scramble up to the top of the haystack. As group leader I was trying to remember if I had everybody sign their waivers beforehand! Anyway, we were careful to keep 3 points of contact at all times & before long 6 of us (one turned back) were standing on the top. Only 2 of us had done this before so it was quite a first for the others. There was one other large group on top + one other guy. We all took turns taking group pix for each other. When we left the solo hiker had the summit all to himself. All the usual views from the top minus Mt Baker - too hazy. Before we headed back down I checked out the trail heading east from the haystack. I had always assumed this was the trail to Mt Teneriffe. It was well marked w/ ribbons and even, in places, small logs marking the trail. I went as far as the crest in the woods, where I could see the Mt Teneriffe summit in the distance, before turning around. I could see a bit of snow beyond still. Probably another few weeks before it fully melts out. The weather turned out to be great, however, by the end of our hike you could see clouds, from the next forecasted system, moving in. A stop at our usual favorite in North Bend - Scott's Dairy Freeze - topped the day.

Hit McDonald Mt trailhead at corner of 346th Ave & Kent Kangley at 8:20 AM. My car only one at trailhead. Previous write-ups from Hiker Jim & Type E were useful. Blue gate at start of old road. First mile of this trail/road is rutted & bermed and a bit rough going. There are several forks, stick w/ upward grade. At one of the switchbacks the trail turns into a much smoother road. Most of the early walking is through light forest. At a little over 2 miles the first clearcut area is reached. A few views of peaks (Baker, Glacier, Rattlesnake ledge, Teneriffe, Olympics, etc) in distance. First view also of radio tower up on McDonald Mt (although not the summit). Another fork, go left toward McDonald Mt. After about 0.5 mile the road again enters forest. Another blue gate soon after, this one was open. Few peek-a-boo views to the west. Rock quarry attained at a little over 3 miles. Another fork, take road to right w/blue gate, road to left has yellow gate w/ warning signs from Tacoma Water. Road switchbacks up & soon a short spur to right leads to radio tower. Back at fork, road to left becomes grassy & a bit overgrown. Road descends slightly to slash pile w/ cables lying around. Continue on descending until the road again heads up. Small trees in road a bit of a nuisance. Eventually appears that road ends. Go straight thru some small evergreens a very short distance & you are in the forest. A rough boot path may be followed, but as long as you continue heading south you'll reach another clear cut. Picked up road again and headed toward 4 slash piles. Best views of Mt Rainier here. Followed road to left and a large amount of logs & slash block the way toward a main road to the east. Climbed over barrier & followed that road again up & southward. Many boundary type signs for hunting & right-of-way posted on trees along road. Continued to follow road up until near true (southern) summit of Mt McDonald. I would recommend leaving the main road & taking a smaller road to the right that is on the west side of the ridge. Also blocked w/ logs/trees, climb over & proceed. When crest reached, leave road & go to left. Go thru forest until high point found. It appeared that some rocks were placed around the summit area. No views there. After short rest I decided to head back to clearcut to have lunch in full view of Mt Rainier. Absolutely gorgeous, bluebird day. I retraced my route back. I believe there are probably easier routes that follow more of the road but I did not explore further. Returned to car by about 1:30 PM. Time up about 3 hours +, time back about 2 hours (w/ breaks). Last mile w/ all the washouts, berms etc was harder coming down. Be careful not to slip & fall. I had a few hoplas (slips) but no falls. I'd recommend taking hiking poles on this trip. Route snow-free at this time. Nobody else seen. This is probably a good hike for solitude close in. I doubt it's much busier on weekends.

Did hike w/ West Side Meetup group (12 of us). Group leader Laurie made a good choice to do the Tubal Cain Mine hike on bluebird day. No snow on road to trailhead. Did see 5 or 6 blacktail deer along road. Trail goes moderately through forest of evergreen trees and large rhody bushes. Rhodies barely have buds and are probably still a month out from blooming. Trail quickly enters the Buckhorn Wilderness. No snow until about 3 miles in. Just before spur trail to Tull Canyon, snow/ice begin. Quickly becomes several feet deep by campground. After sort of losing the trail, we headed across Copper Creek and up cross country to cleared slopes. We did pass the trail again clear of snow in the open slope. Great views there of Mt Buckhorn to southeast and Iron Mt & Mt Townsend due east. Great lunch spot. I had time constraints so I left the group & headed back. Did stop at mine entrance at Tull Canyon trailhead to poke around. I understand that the Tubal-Cain mine (in use from 1902 to 1906) penetrated about 450 meters into Mt Buckhorn and was used to mine predominantly copper. Some of our group had stated they might, on the way back, try to go explore the mine or the site of the B-17 plane crash site of 1952. I want to go back in a month or so when the Rhodies are blooming & also to explore more of the area.

I would recommend trekking poles & traction devices for a bit longer due to snow & ice. We had members of our group with only tennis shoes & they made it but I wouldn't recommend it. No significant blowdowns.

Ideal conditions on Mt Si right now. Set out on Little Si trail w/ Woody & his son Luke. Took the second Boulder Garden Loop fork to the right & after 3/4 mile or so the Old Si trail is to the left. Soon after I noticed a 35 pound weight wedged into the rock wall. Looks like somebody made quite the effort to put it in there. This trail is a little bit more direct & steeper than the main Si trail. Also far less crowded. We saw 2 others going up & just a few coming down. When the Old Si trail comes real close to the main trail (just after 3 miles or so) we opted to go over to the main trail & hike that trail the rest of the way up. No snow on the trail up to Haystack Basin. A little snow on trail near the base of the Haystack. We opted to ascend the Haystack since it was dry all the way up. Gorgeous views on this bluebird day. Mt Baker & Glacier Peak to the north. Mt Rainier to the south. Olympics to west w/ Seattle & Bellevue in foreground. And many other still snow-covered lower peaks to east along Snoqualmie corridor. Met a nice guy named Brandon going up to the Haystack. He was from Atlanta out here for work conference for a few days. His Seattle workmates recommended Mt Si to him. Good choice for this day. Cheers Brandon if you read this - hope you caught up w/ your workmates at the pubs in Seattle. We spent about 1/2 hour at the top. Only 4 of us for awhile until others showed up. As we were coming down the chute, quite a few people were coming up. With the traffic jam it was almost reminiscent of the Hillary Step on Everest! We descended the Old Si trail and went left at Boulder Garden Loop trail to complete the loop. A stop at Scott's Dairy Freeze in North Bend completed a great day.

After seeing hikingwithmybrother's write-up (from 3/12/2012) I put this one on my mental to-do list. Today was the day. Their description is good. The trailhead is actually an old rusty gate w/ No Parking and Towing signs on it. Beyond you can see a yellow gate w/ the WA State Parks logo on it. There are many no parking and no trespassing signs in the area. A place that is ok to park is on the other side of the street closer to the Green River Gorge bridge. There is a turnout that can accomodate 3 to 4 vehicles. I was the only one around today.

Despite there being private property signs it is ok to walk the gravel road to the yellow gate where it is WA state parks land (there's apparently an easement thru the private land). I got caught in a downpour heading up to the site of the old ore cart labeled Franklin. It is probably less than a mile to this junction which is signed. If you go right, it heads to sites of old foundations for structures (houses?). I passed one foundation before seeing a No Trespassing sign so I turned around. I then headed straight (which would have been left going up) which took me to mine shaft entrance #2 which is covered with a metal grate for safety purposes (in 1984). This mine was over 1300 feet deep. The hayday of the mine was from about the late 1800's to the 1910's. After the mine shaft the trail changes from a road width trail to a single track. There is water and mud across the trail in several places and also foliage over the trail in a few places. I noted an old elevated trestle not too long before the cemetery off to the right. Apparently this was part of the system of water pipes that delivered water to the town of Franklin back in the day. I came upon the cemetery almost without realizing it. It is becoming quite overgrown. I noticed at least 10 or so grave markers. A few of babies (quite sad). It is probably close to 2 miles to the cemetery. The trail beyond the cemetery quickly joins a gravel road. I did not explore to find out where the road came from or led to. There is a sign stating Franklin Cemetery facing toward the gravel road. The rest of my time on these trails the sun came out & quickly dried me off. Pretty serene other than the constant gunfire off to the west (which got louder/closer as I hiked the trail). I didn't hear any stray bullets, thank God. Interesting area worth exploring.

Set out on Wildcat trailhead w/ Goober Canari at about 8 AM. Met guy named Tim at the trailhead, retired-aged guy on mountain bike. We saw him earlier on our way to the trailhead riding up one of the area roads. He informed us it was his 3rd bike ride up this mountain this week. You go guy!

Had not hiked this longer section of trail to Green Mountain summit before. Trail in pretty good shape despite multi-uses (motorbikes & horses included). Puddles of water in a few spots. A few more viewpoints open up along this section of trail than from the Gold Creek trail. We passed Tim again as he was coming down. Saw a jackrabbit but no other wildlife to speak of. Trail crosses road multiple times on the way up (road closed this time of year). No Rhodies in bloom yet, probably a month or less away. Had summit all to ourselves for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Couple guys on motorcycles came up as we were leaving. Views from summit of Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Bremerton, Seattle, but Cascades mostly clouded in. On way back we took Beaver Pond loop trail. No beavers noted at ponds. Saw more people coming up on way down. Good early season hike. Capped off day w/ stop at Seabecks Pizza. 2 thumbs up!

Set out from middle trailhead of CCC Road/Trail (aka Bessemer Mt trailhead) by about 10 AM. Walked about 1 mile section of road/trail to junction w/ CCC Road/Trail. Big Blowout Creek roaring across trail to the left, I went right (not in avoidance of creek but to do shorter section of trail heading east). Will come back during better weather to do western section of CCC trail (that is supposed to be more scenic). Still followed road width trail until junction where Bessemer Road continues to left uphill. Look for trail to right just after turnoff spread with straw. Many creek crossings and tree blowdowns, only a couple tough to negotiate. I'd recommend bringing sturdy, waterproof hiking boots and hiking poles for this hike. Noted 3 dumptruck loads of gravel along trail in area that at present looks inaccessible to vehicles. Later saw large owl fly across trail. When I reached the eastern trailhead I returned to my car via the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road. No other people encountered, and especially luckily not the North Bend Fugitive. I would hear later that he is currently hunkered down up by Rattlesnake Ledge/Mountain.

Work was taking me down south, decided to stop & take a drive up the gorge in search of a hike. Had a few options, chose this one due to so so weather. To get to this trail, take left off of Highway 14 onto Wind River Road (signed to Carson) and thru the town of Carson. About 15 miles to past Carson Fish Hatchery & road forks. Go right to stay on Wind River Road which is also County Road 30. Turn right on FR 3062. There was a little snow at the turnoff from earlier plowing but no snow the rest of the way to the trailhead. Go right again for Lower Falls trail (Upper Falls trail is to the left). Only one other vehicle at trailhead.

Hike to falls is about 1.7 miles. There is a nice suspension bridge not too far in. Only patches of snow on the trail were in this area, but very small. Also only about 2 blowdowns; easily crossed. The trail goes along & above Falls Creek most of the way. Falls Creek is a torrent right now. I later passed 2 ladies coming down & they gave Falls Creek Falls a 5-star rating. Soon after I passed a trail junction to the Upper Trail. Not too far before the end there is a steel bridge back over Falls Creek. The falls are reached soon after. 100 foot high falls very impressive! This site had them on a best waterfall hikes a while back. On way back I hiked the connecting trail to the upper trail for a bit more workout. It is short but steep. I did not hike the Upper trail but returned back to the lower trail. No wildlife seen but I heard some pikas in a rocky crossing.

Good hike to check out if down in Columbia Gorge area.

Headed to Historic DuPont Village first to grab some additional area maps (at kiosk in front of museum). Museum closed, only open M, W, Th, & F & closes around 4 PM. Will have to come back another time to check it out. Did walk around old town w/ map & checked out some historic old buildings, most no longer standing, only sites. Marker of original Fort Nisqually next to museum. Also, old train for transporting dynamite behind museum. City path/trail starts there & it is possible to go around Edmonds Marsh & hang a right & keep going on Sequalitchew Creek trail. This would entail probably 6 miles or more round trip & I didn't have that much time so I opted to drive to Sequalitchew Creek trailhead, behind the Civic Center just off Center Drive.

I did the hike armed w/ a map this time locating historic points of interest along the way. I passed a couple from Olympia as I was nearing the beach, & the man asked me where I got the map. I gave him mine as I had found most of the points of interest. He told me he was last here 20 years ago and recalled going up to the former Wilkes Observatory site, where there was another monument. He couldn't remember exactly how he got there but kind of pointed the general direction. I found it in a roundabout way, but later discovered a trail all the way up. Just before the designated wetlands down to the left there is a smooth metal grate over the creek. Cross it and there is a trail T. Go left & follow it all the way up the hillside. There are 2 large blowdowns but easy to go under. Otherwise trail easy to follow. You will come out into a large cleared rocky area. Look right (west) to a fence. The large gap in the fence leads to the former Wilkes Obervatory site where there is a marker/monument. Some trees have now grown up but still some views out to the Sound. DuPont Home Golf Course is beyond the cleared rocky area to the south. Descended back to original trail. Saw a fair amount of people walking their dogs today but nothing like Chambers Bay on a nice day. Fun area to explore.

Hiked w/ Brooklake Hikers (7 of us) to land of serenity, aka Dungeness Spit & Lighthouse. A bit of a drive from east side of Puget Sound but worth it. Second time doing this hike for me but better weather than last time. Turn off Highway 101 about 4.5 miles west of Sequim on the well-marked but oddly named Kitchen-Dick Road. Another 3.2 miles road goes right and soon after the entrance to Dungeness Wildlife Area can be seen to left. Drive down to the north end of the park where the trailhead is. Restroom facilities at the trailhead.

Our group set out around 10 AM near low tide. Views of mountains, both Olympic & Cascade could be had from various locations along the hike as well as a view of Victoria, Canada. One bald eagle seen on drive in, but not too many different varieties of birds/waterfowl on the hike. We did see some colorful Black Oystercatchers in the surf. It took us a couple of hours of beach hiking to reach the lighthouse. We saw a 4 x 4 truck transporting some of the lighthouse volunteers near the end. We arrived just ahead of a fairly large group of hikers and took the lighthouse tour (which are given in groups of 4). The volunteers were very pleasant and helpful. They actually pay for the chance to spend a week out there ($50 a day + $35 initial fee), so you're looking at around $400 to spend the week out there volunteering. Sounds like a good way to spend a week to me. It's going on by Bucket List. The lodge has 6 bedrooms and every volunteer seemed to really be enjoying themselves, especially a lady from Olympia. A lady from South Africa was also helpful. After the tour and lunch we checked out the boat landing area on the south side of the spit (the only area the public can legally go on that side of the spit). Also, the public cannot access the very tip of the spit, beyond the lighthouse. The spit continues to grow by about 12' a year. Woody spotted some seals in the water and they turned to look at us when we made a bit of noise. It was quite an experience communicating and bonding with those amazing sea creatures, like I was at one with nature! Later we headed back up the spit to reality (as the sign at the lighthouse so eloquently states). We managed to beat high tide by an hour or 2. Those waves were really crashing in! I discovered later that I actually got some red color on my face from the sun, an odd experience for us Washingtonians given the past 6 months or so.

On the drive back, we made a stop at Fat Smitty's about 20 minutes from Sequim in the Discovery Bay area. I had driven by this place so many times but never stopped. Outside are statues of a burger, a lumberjack and a drink (shake?). Inside are dollar bills tacked everywhere on the ceiling, walls, etc. The food; great! A couple of the employees even took us in the back where there was a large sign given to the previous restaurant owners by the Boy Scouts listing all the hikes they had done. I guess the Boy Scouts got the previous donation from the dollars on the wall, which when taken down every so often always go to some good cause. Lauren couldn't resist and placed a signed dollar on the wall. Great sunny day to hike with a great group!

Work took me up here on this Thursday. Parked off of Bell Hill Place & entered the path near the south crossing of Edmonds Marsh. Took berm across Edmonds Marsh and counterclockwise around. Crossed bridge at old site of Fort Nisqually. No Rainier view from this location today. Paths take you almost all the way around but you do have to go through a couple of residential streets to re-connect. Best to print up a map from on-line unless you know the area well. One place I hadn't been to before was the Historic Village of DuPont which was another 0.4 mile from where I started. There is also a museum there, & although I didn't go in today for lack of time, I did grab several fliers from a kiosk outside of the museum. If you like history, there is a lot associated with this area from over 100 years ago when the village was first planned & constructed and dynamite was manufactured here. I would recommend getting the fliers prior to walking this area including the Sequalitchew Creek trail down to the water. One warning: I heard from a workmate who often hikes/walks/jogs in this area, beware of lots of mosquitoes around the marsh in summer. Good luck.

I see that Bob & Barb have done an excellent write-up yesterday w/ descriptions of the Tacoma Nature Center @ Snake Lake. Took my daughter, Tomasina, to do the hike, center, & kids play area. Hiked the upper hill to the east and looped around to the west. Lots of downed trees & limbs noted, but cleared from the trail. New side trails noted up top. No wildlife noted until coming back to first bridge, turtle on log. Then we saw a raccoon up a tree near the center. Lots of people on the trails and at the site today. Almost couldn't find parking. I guess a rare Spring-like weather day brings out the hordes!

My first Spring hike. Today's weather was almost spring-like! No snow on trail until past 1 mile mark. Patchy. More consistent snow on trail about half way up. I put on Yak Trax at junction w/ Railroad Grade trail. I noticed most folks did not have Yak Trax but going up, it was doable. I would recommend poles at least to make it easier. Snow on trees only near the summit. Only 3 ladies at summit when I arrived. Later I heard another lady that arrived telling them how she grabbed sunglasses at the last second but they were 3D movie glasses. She said they did block some glare but were a bit blurry. LOL! Nice sunny summit with no wind. People were actually stripping off jackets. Coming down there were a couple young gals in only sneakers w/ no traction devices or poles. They were moving quite gingerly. The Yak Trax were very beneficial coming down. Trail is in good shape. All blow downs cut out. Not much mud. Great warm up hike.

Hiked w/ Westside Meet Up group, 12 of us total. Group leader Laurie picked a good hike, Lake Angeles trail from near Heart of the Hills campground (north end of loop). No snow at trailhead & about first 1/2 mile to mile snow free. Trail follows Ennis Creek for first mile & then crosses creek & heads east. Trail then again bears south. Thin layer of snow from mile 1 - 2. By about 3500 foot mark snow began to approach 1 foot in depth. Trail easy to follow. Only 1 or 2 blowdowns. Most in our group had YakTrax but nobody used snowshoes. Sign at spur to lake almost covered w/ snow but follow footprints (left to lake). Lake is about 3 1/2 miles from northern trailhead. Lake covered w/ at least 3 feet of snow. Klahhane Ridge visible beyond. Great day to be out.

Hiked in about a mile on my lunch break at Swan Creek Park off of Pioneer Way in East Tacoma. Trail a bit muddy in places but all blowdowns cut out. Peaceful walk. This urban trail goes over 5 miles in along creek. Sun even came out.

My first hike with a Meet Up hiking group out of the west (Kitsap area) side. 19 of us on hike. Drive up to trailhead becomes snowy & icy last 2 to 3 miles. Recommend 4-wheel drive, but one car in our caravan was a sedan. We were only vehicles in parking lot upon arrival at about 11 AM. Restroom at trailhead.

Trail w/ snow almost at outset. First part contained some icy sections, snow not deep. (recommend Yak Traks & trekking poles). After about 1 mile fork w/ Royal Basin trail reached. Go left to continue on Dungeness River trail. Some real icy sections with some exposure to right around Camp Handy. After that point, snow then becomes deeper. Trail always pretty easy to follow. A few creek crossings, nothing too tough. We stopped at meadow a mile or so past Camp Handy. Started campfire there after good pre-planning by hike leader Laurie. I checked out meadow & walked thru some deeper snow to river. View of higher peak to the left, guess it was either Mt Constance or maybe Mt Deception. Fire was going good by time I returned. Felt good to warm up. 4 of our members had turned back earlier as they hiked w/ 2 small boys but rest of us, 15, enjoyed the fire. No rain during entire hike & even some sunbreaks. No blowdowns. Great day to be out!

Just a note on a Hike of the Week in the TNT a month or two ago. The Lake Tapps Winter Ramble is not hikable (legally, at least) as the Pierce County Park at the northeast end of Lake Tapps is closed from October thru March.

I was in the area & decided to check it out & discovered the closed gate. No parking signs are posted in the small parking areas outside the gate so obviously hikers/walkers are not welcome in the winter in the park. I also drove north on the main road on the east side of Lake Tapps & found another small parking area also posted w/ towing signs. I parked along the side of the road & walked Dike 4 up to a gate (a little under a mile). This is also property of the Cascade Water Company & posted so. This is a nice area to walk & the clouds parted enough to see the snow-covered foothills & partial Mt Rainier. Might be worth checking out after April 1.

Also - I contacted the Tacoma Mountaineers who post the hikes in the TNT. They were very good to talk to & gave me the name & number of the person responsible for listing the hikes in the paper. She got back to me & informed me that the correction on the TNT's website has been made. I do want to mention that this is the first time I had this sort of problem with one of the TNT hikes. Happy Hiking.

Hit Mt Si trail at 10:15 AM. All blowdowns cut out. Trail a bit wet/muddy near start but dry after that up until about 2 1/2 mile mark. Patchy snow there & steady snow shortly after 3 mile mark. Put on Yak Trax there. Took about 2 hours to summit. Did not get pelted w/ any snow from trees. Gorgeous day. Very windy up top, found little dry nook in rocks away from wind for lunch. Be careful hiking over the snow-covered rocks. Great views of Mt Rainier, Olympics, Seattle & Bellevue skylines, & Snoqualmie area peaks. Only passed a group of 6 women on way up. They had split up & 3 were at summit. I saw nobody else on summit. Saw more folks on the way down. Took me about 1 hr 20 min down. Now is a good time to do this hike to avoid crowds normally here in Spring/Summer. About 1 to 2 feet of snow on summit.

Saw a recent write-up on this one & decided a good day to check it out. Theler Wetlands has a nature center & education center & many displays outside near the trailhead & along the way. I took the River Estuary Trail first. It heads west about 1/2 mile to the Union River & then along the river another mile or so. Weather was socked in, not too many views. Trail is mostly on gravel but a few boardwalk sections also. Very slick when wet and/or icy. Saw alot of red-winged blackbirds & geese. Headed back & took the South Tidal Marsh trail. Fortunately the weather cleared & better views out to Hood Canal at mouth of Union River. This section is mostly on boardwalk. A few Olympic peaks visible above foothills to west. Talked w/ 2 regulars at end of boardwalk. Saw many ducks, a few blue herons, etc. No 4 legged animals seen. Good exercise for winter.

Hike to Cedar Butte was not enough to shed all the Holiday pounds Russ claimed to have put on so a second hike to Poo Poo Point via Chirico trail was in order. Nice hike up, trail is in good shape & is a bit more of a workout than Cedar Butte. Trail switchbacks up mountain; later there are several spurs near south launch point (clearing) for paragliders. Nobody there, but nice view of Mt Rainier. Reached the summit which is also the northern (and main) launch point for the paragliders. Third time up here but first time I saw some paragliders take off. First saw a solo guy and then a tandem male/female. Pretty cool. Also nice views of Mt Baker, Olympics, Lake Sammamish (& other lakes) Seattle, Bellevue, etc. Lady hiker who arrived at summit just after us told me that on a previous hike here a paraglider offered to take her on a tandem flight for $50 & she accepted. Said it was her first (and only, so far) time and was quite a thrill. Orange skies to west of what looked like an early sunset at 2:45 PM. Decided to head down after waiting for final 2 paragliders for awhile. Wind conditions not favorable. When we arrived back at the parking lot 2 more paragliders were landing. Fun hike. Russ informed me that he feels like he worked off the extra Holiday pounds.

What better way to spend Friday the 13th than on a mountain hike? Russ and I hit the Cedar Butte trail, my first time up here in several years & Russ' first. Trail from east parking lot of Rattlesnake Lake Park head out on John Wayne Iron Horse trail. After bridge over Boxley Creek go another 175 yards or so & Cedar Butte trailhead(marked) is on the right. Trail in good shape, no snow, gradual incline, took the Blowout loop up. Trail is mostly in forest, some partial views to the north at the summit. 2 other gals w/ dog soon arrived at summit also & saw one other guy on way down. Good year-round hike.

Trail to base of falls closed for renovation/upgrades until March 2013.

Beautiful day to be down at Chambers Bay Loop. Lots of people & dogs.

Decided to check out this trail since I had driven by the trailhead so many times & also was featured as Hike of the Week in Tribune a couple of weeks ago. Trailhead is marked w/ a PC Parks sign & there is a small parking area off the road. The main trail follows along Chambers Creek & has a slow incline up to a high point a little over a mile in. There are no views other than subdivisions at the top. There are several side trails along the way, at least 2 go down to the creek. Some areas of the trail a bit muddy but not bad overall. Peaceful hike thru the forest. Check it out if you are in Lakewood/Steilacoom/UP area.

Another killer sunset at Chambers Bay!

It was my intent to go up as far as I could toward Cave Ridge, but figured recent snow storm would keep me from getting up real far (just a couple of days ago was still doable according to other trip reports I read). Thin snow layer at trailhead. Start out on road south of Snow Lake trail a few hundred feet and then unmarked trail is off to right. I read an earlier post that someone wrote that they loved to be the first to make tracks on new snow. It is quite the experience. I was able to follow trail pretty much with no problem to the junction of Snoqualmie Mt/Guye Peak trail. There the snow was 5 to 6 inches deep and I could no longer follow a trail. I went cross country up to the base of the cliffs of Guye Peak ridge. I found a natural shelter and had a snack. Even though clouds were moving in I had nice views across the valley to Denny Mt and range. I put Yak Trax on about half way up. Snow was soft and pretty easy to negotiate. Coming down was a bit harder. Will have to come back next summer & give Cave Ridge another try. Saw no other people on trail, a few in parking lot were probably hiking Snow Lake trail.

Still had energy left after tromping around in the snow above Alpenthal so I swung by Franklin Falls trailhead. Took trail to the falls. It's in good shape w/ no snow yet. One other couple at Falls w/ tiny dog. They left & had the falls all to myself. Impressive falls but high bridge (so avalanches can go underneath) of I90 off to left. Took wagon trail back. Wagon trail crosses road 4 times & old wooden footbridges are really slick when wet (I managed to stay upright, barely). I noted several numbered markers along wagon trail that must accompany some sort of trail guide. I know Franklin Falls is a summer favorite of people w/ little kids. I would recommend taking the trail (over the old wagon trail) if you have little ones.

Just a quick note - this is a suburban trail in Tacoma not too far from home that I often hit for some exercise (when I don't have enough time to do Chambers Bay). Today I saw a deer, and soon after a large hawk, which both burst out of the bushes as I was on the upper loop. Glad it wasn't some scary ghoul on Halloween. Longer loop can be lengthened even more w/ side trails into about 2 mile + loop. Great afternoon/evening to be out in the woods!

With about a half day's good weather forecast before changing time to get in a hike. The golden larches (no not Mickey D's golden arches) were a callin'. I decided to head for Blewett Pass. There was actually fog & clouds in Cle Elum but cleared once I headed up into the hills. I headed for the Tronsen Ridge trailhead but kept going past the large turn in the road. Past Ken Wilcox horse camp the road becomes rutted & a high clearance vehicle is best used. After a mile or so on this road it became better. I drove all the way to the south trailhead for Mt Lillian (#1601). Not much room to park, I just pulled off to the side of the road. Started hiking about 9:15 AM.

Hike heads gradually uphill. A few golden larches at the trailhead but not many more on this section of trail. After a mile or so some large, odd looking, rock formations are encountered. The trail is mostly in forest to that point but there are a few views to the east by the rocks. I took a side path to the summit of Mt Lillian but it is wooded and there are no views. I continued on to a fork w/ the jeep trail from Naneum Meadows & went right toward Tronsen Ridge. There is another fork where the jeep road goes left & the trail goes right & downhill. There is a sign there but no trail name or description. I encountered the first people at this point, 2 hunters on motorcycles. Motorized transport is supposed to be forbidden after Oct 15 & I pointed this out to them. But they were nice guys & we chatted for awhile. They came in further up Hwy 97 & claimed there was no warning signs there. The only animal they saw was a doe. I continued on through more forest but soon a few views of Mt Rainier to left & Stuart range straight ahead. I went as far as a viewpoint of Hwy 97 which was about 3 miles in on Tronsen Ridge trail before stopping. Took a short break & before leaving my friends on motorcycles returned. One of them made a comment that I had made it pretty far. I would have made it further with a motorcycle (or maybe not). More larch (Tamarack) trees along this trail but only a few turned yellow, most were somewhere in between. Several nice rocky knobs along trail that can be summitted for nice panoramic views. Larches will probably be at peak in another week or 2. This is my second hike seeking larches (went to Ingalls Lake October last year and I think it is better). Also sounds like they are at or closed to peak further north (by Levenworth or in North Cascades). I saw 2 more hunters on foot on my way back. They said they saw a spike elk and also a large black bear (it was a ways off on a ridge). And yes I did wear a bright orange vest. These hunters I encountered all seemed responsible and not liquored up like you can sometimes run into. All in all trails were in good shape and ruts were minimal. No snow anywhere in area. Returned to car by about 1:30 PM. Put in about 10 miles RT.

On way back to west side, clouds gathering over mts & eventually light rain. I guess Jeff Renner was right w/ the forecast. Great to spend a day on the sunny east side!

Saw elk on drive in (Skate Creek roadside). One van & one rig w/ horse trailer @ trailhead. Departed at 11:15 AM. Views of Rainier from parking lot but top clouded in. Trail in good shape. Slight uphill at start, stays fairly level after that. Mostly in forest but a few openings w/ fall color starting. Trail heads southeast toward Packwood Lake. Trail cuts sharp to left and down to the lake after about 4 miles. Several buildings around west end of lake including 1910 Ranger Station with historic preservation in progress. Did not see anybody on hike up until lake. About 6 guys and 3 dogs spread out around west end of lake. Some of the guys trying to start a campfire on beach. Nice view of Johnson Peak w/ fresh coats of snow beyond far end of lake. I continued on to east end of lake via trail #81 Upper Lake Creek. Another 1-2 miles to get there. Did not see group on horses (other guys saw them). Mt Rainier mostly clouded in (visible from far end of lake on clear day). On way back passed a solo hiker who was going to camp there. Got back to car by 3:40 PM. Peaceful hike. No bugs!

Brooklake Hikers (only 4 of us today) ended up w/ great weather, after the rainy spell lately. We set off at about 9:30 AM from Chinook Pass & headed clockwise. Only handful of cars in lot. Footbridge over road not finished yet & blocked off w/ equipment & colored tape. First part of loop was in shade and cold, some frost & ice on trail. Still some blooming wildflowers left but most a bit wilted from cold. Also, a lot of mouse-on-a-stick (anenome's). Came around to east & sun. Trail a bit muddy in places but no snow on trail. Also some fall colors but not turned as much as would be expected this time of year. A few people on trail but not as crowded as a Saturday usually would be. First great view of Mt Rainier a bit past junction down to Dewey Lakes. We took a break on rocks & couldn't resist feeding grey jays (they just looked so hungry!). Outstanding view of Mt Rainier & even a peekaboo view of top of Mt Adams. Also Goat Rocks. Ice formed crystals along shady parts of trail, quite amazing. I even found a few bushes w/ ripe huckleberries still (near southwestern part of loop). Fall colors should be peaking in next week or two. Topped off w/ best shake around, Wapiti Woolies - Greenwater. Last nice day for awhile? Get out & enjoy while it lasts.

Sun at home, time to head for the mts! Road to Glacier View trailhead quite chuckholed. No cars @ trailhead. Bugs at trailhead; not as bad once I started hiking. Only a few scant blue/huckleberries (but see below), a few wildflowers left but most past their prime. Also, not many fall colors yet. Trail a bit brushy but all blowdowns cut out. Trail in good shape otherwise, not muddy or wet. At summit, view of Mt St Helens, Mt Adams, Goat Rocks, Mt Wow, Gobblers Knob lookout, & of course Mt Rainier. Upper 10-20% of Rainier summit getting clouded in. Spent about 15 minutes on summit. Looked up & noticed some nasty looking clouds coming in from west. Headed down, but soon return hike was in sun. Even though this is a hike I have probably done 10 times or so, I still managed to go past the short spur back to the parking lot. It did allow me to notice that there are a lot more ripe huckleberries on the trail heading to Beljica Meadows. I chowed down & then found my way back. I noticed another car at trailhead w/ an older gentleman eating lunch. I spoke to him a bit. He inquired about huckleberries & I told him about the trail up to the right. He had filled a large container earlier from picking berries along the road. Now's the time, I guess.

Departed via Spray Park trail from Mowich Lake. Stopped briefly at the Eagle Cliff viewpoint which is a spectacular view of Mt Rainier. Bypassed Spray Falls and made good time to Spray Park. A spur trail to the left goes up to the saddle between Hessong Rock & Mt Pleasant. It is steep but easy to follow & not too long. At the saddle even better views of Mt Rainier, Spray Park, Echo & Observation Rocks, & also other area peaks including Olympics in distance. I went left on a distinct climbers path toward Hessong Rock. I stayed w/ the path, crossed one small non-exposed snowfield (I could have gone down & around) & continued around the northern shoulder of Hessong. It appears that a route might be to go up next to a talus slope & gain the ridge & then to west to the summit. But I avoided this urge and the path took me around to the western ridge where I was able to follow it all the way to the top. One tree on path that takes some effort to climb over. Views even better on summit. Also noted Glacier Peak thru some other peaks. After a break I returned the same way even though there was a path going east from the summit. I returned to the saddle & followed a path toward Mt Pleasant. I followed it around some false summits & around the south shoulder of Pleasant. In about 20 minutes after being on the Hessong summit I was on the summit of Mt Pleasant. This summit is more rocky & I did not linger as long. I did not find a summit register at either summit. The last trip report from this hike/climb I found on this site was from 2006 from happy hiker.

http://www.wta.org/[…]/tripreport-2006082003

The distances on that trip report are good & I would generally agree w/ happy hikers route w/ the exception, I would avoid the urge to go up a chute to save time. Just follow the paths all the way up (since they're there, use them!) I don't know how many peaks I've gone up where there aren't paths or obvious routes to follow.

The only difficulty I had was going east from Mt Pleasant. I intended to connect w/ the unmaintained trail from Knapsack Pass back to Mowich Lake. I stayed up on the ridge as much as possible but had to do some rock scrambling as well as bushwhacking as there was no obvious path for much of the ridge hike. I was glad to see the Knapsack Pass trail below and connected with it a bit below Knapsack Pass. This section of trail is muddy in many places & easy to slip. Back into the woods I think I scared a lady half to death judging by the loudness of her scream. The 3-lady party told me they hadn't seen anybody all day on their hike to Knapsack Pass and wondered where I had come from. When I told them, they were impressed and wondered if I encountered much snow. I told them I hadn't and they said they intended to go down from Knapsack Pass to Spray Park but decided against it due to steep snowfields. Only wildlife I saw, a few frogs in Spray Park. Most wildflowers past their peak, only a few blue/huckleberries. No fall colors yet. The Spray Park trail is a great route to access Hessong Rock & Mt Pleasant but I might recommend returning the same way if you don't want to do a little route finding. Of course, it's always nice to be able to do a loop trip. I had done Fay Peak previously; I've noticed this included as a 3-peak trip in some guidebooks.

PS - A trail runner who passed me near the Spray Park trailhead dropped a plastic bag holding a bagel w/ cream cheese. I never caught up or ran into him again to return it but talked w/ another female hiker near Spray Falls who confirmed it was his. If that person reads this, It was yummy:) Thanks!

Got a call from Goober Canari telling me he had Friday off. That meant a hike in the Olympics. Today's choice, Mt Rose. Left home to mostly clear skies but arrival at trailhead to clouds. Trail is in good shape, steady but not too steep, mostly in forest. A few burned areas which are warned about near trailhead (be careful in windy weather). Trail enters Mt Skokomish Wilderness around a mile or so in and around 2 miles is a fork. The upper part of the trail splits into a loop hike. We went right which is longer to the summit (sign said 1.6 miles). This section of the trail is supposedly more faint and rougher but we found it easy to follow. I got stung on the back of the leg by what I believe might have been a bald-faced hornet although I didn't even see it. We finally broke thru to some sunny skies on the final ridge. The summit is a rocky knob and the wind was blowing. We had views down to Lake Cushman. Summit to Alaska phone call to the "Stinger" and then we headed back down. We followed the shorter (1.1 miles) part of the loop down. Goober suffered a couple of oplas (slips), the 2nd resulting in a scraped arm. No broken bones and Goober soldiered on. Sunnier skies by the time we reached the car. No people encountered on way up, 4 on way down. No wildlife to speak of other than a grouse that exploded out of the bushes. Minor wildflowers and huckleberries on summit ridge. Stop at El Serape in Shelton capped the day.

Only 1 car at trailhead when I arrived at around 8:30 AM. I passed the man whose car it was in the first few tenths of a mile, just out for a stroll it sounded like. Trail had most blowdowns cut out but I counted around 20 on the hike not cut out (only 1 really big one). Trail pretty easy until last mile or so before the lake. From there it steepens and is also pretty rocky and rooty. Arrived at Rachel Lake and took a brief break. Really quiet w/ no people. Bugs not bad to this point. I set out on trail to the right of the lake that went upward to a connection w/ the Rampart Ridge trail. I went right toward Alta Mt. Not much in the way of wildflowers or huckleberries to this point but more flowers and blueberries up on the ridge, especially the closer I got to Alta Mt. The fork to Alta is on the left, is unmarked but noticeable and well beaten (the right fork goes to Lila Lakes). There are no sticks across the climbers path. A marmot kept me company as I hiked past a rock field. Alta Mt is not visible for most of the hike and there are about 4 or 5 false summits. Just keep going on the path north on the ridge and it will take you there. Not much routefinding required. Views got better and better the higher I got. The summit is marked w/ a cairn of rocks. There was also a snapshot of a female at the summit (w/ a cairn taller than her!) and a compass. Despite high clouds, almost all peaks local and far away were visible, even the Olympics! Mt Rainier did have its very top covered with some clouds. No wind until I got up on the ridge. The bugs were a bit more prevalent here, but the breeze kept them down. I also enjoyed ID'ing some of the local peaks in the Alpine Lakes, etc. I could see partial Glacier Peak but Mt Stuart is hidden from view on the summit. It is visible from just below the summit. On the way back I took a side path that connected to the Lila Lakes trail. I went to the biggest lake but did not stay long as the bugs were worse there. Finally started seeing people as I descended back to Rachel Lake. One couple was going to camp for 3 days at Rampart Lakes. I hiked back with a guy named Jeff who was good company. He is the first guy I ever met that went to Appalachian State University. I remember them upsetting Michigan a few years ago in football which I loved as I don't like the Wolverines!

Note: I noticed a path (that I didn't follow) that looked fairly distinct near the last forest clearing (on the way to Rachel Lake) that I believe might go to Highbox Peak. It was blocked with sticks and was a gravel path where it started out from the trail. I may have to go back and check it out. I'd like to give Highbox a try. It is tougher than Alta Mt.

Only about 10 - 12 vehicles @ the parking lot when I arrived around 10:15 on a Friday. Even though the weather forecast was iffy, I ended up hiking in sunshine most of the day. I decided to add the Talus Loop which is about 0.7 up the Mt Si trail. It adds about 1/3rd of a mile to the Mt Si hike. Nothing really different from the regular trail other than you cross a slope of talus rocks near the end. There is a view to the SE from the talus slope. When I got up to the basin I decided to do the Haystack. I ended up having it all to myself; I believe a first for me. Another young couple I had passed earlier on the trail came up after me but they stopped short of the actual summit. Views of Mt Rainier & other far-away peaks were clouded in but I could see Seattle & Bellevue skylines as well as local peaks and valleys. Only wildflowers I saw on entire hike were a few paintbrush in the haystack basin. I ended up hiking down w/ the couple as they hiked about my pace and the conversation was interesting. The guy had gone to WWU, go Viks! No bugs. Good to get in a hike in the sun before the weather changes. Is summer really over?

In my ever expanding area of hikes, this one took me further from my homebase to Shoe Lake, one I'd heard good things about. My entire drive from Puget Sound area to White Pass was in clouds. My arrival at the lodge was just in time for some break in the clouds. I began in partly cloudy, windy, cold weather but soon warmed up. I talked to a couple of young ski area workers & asked them for adivce. My intention was to hike up the ski run (under the lifts) right/west of the lodge. The purpose of this was to cut out about 3 miles RT from the distance (as opposed to hiking the PCT directly from Highway 12). The workers couldn't believe I was going to hike up under the ski lift (which was STEEP), "Oh you don't want to hike that!". Actually I do (and did). I started up & encountered another worker who gave me advice that came in handy. The hike up the ski run WAS steep, & when I reached the top of the ski lift, I went left on a gravel road that went down and then circled around to the right about 1/4 mile (or less) & that took me to a sign for the Crest Trail. This was the connector to the PCT, Trail 1112 (signed as such at the intersection w/ the PCT). I went right @ the T w/ the PCT & continued on through the woods. The skies became sunny soon after my beginning the hike & the views opened up the higher I went. I saw no other hikers all day, but the solitude was temporarily interrupted by a worker w/ a chainsaw @ the farthest west chairlift. I continued on & hiked under Hogback Mountain & other peaks in that range. I reached a saddle where the Goat Rocks & Shoe Lake can first be seen. There is a spur trail to the right that I assumed went up to Hogback Mt. I continued on the PCT past the first spur trail down to Shoe Lake & continued almost to the 2nd spur trail & decided to turn around. I did not hike down to the lake but continued back & took the spur that went up to the spire on the ridge. I don't believe this is the highpoint of Hogback & did not attempt it. It would be a difficult scramble that I didn't want to attempt alone. I also did not like the look of ridge walk past the spire so I turned around & went back to the PCT. I continued on below what I believe to be the Hogback Mt (with ridges like a Razorback) & scrambled up to a saddle. From there I was able to walk the ridge north to what appeared to be the highest peak. Guidebooks list this as a fairly easy scramble, so I either didn't find the proper spur path, or it's not easy. The views were worth it, though. Mt Rainier, Goat Rocks & Mt Adams just peaking over, Mt St Helens but w/ it's top in clouds/haze, Shoe Lake, Clear Lake further in the distance, & many other areas peaks. Wildflowers were in bloom, especially Lupine. Oh that fine scent. And virtually no bugs! I also feasted on some plump huckleberries/blueberries coming up the ski run. On my trip down I came back to the connecting trail & the gravel road. There were 2 pickup trucks in this spot, one was a Forest Service vehicle. I decided to descend the road instead of the ski run, not knowing exactly where it would come out. I passed a tanker truck coming up & spoke to the driver. He indicated to me that this road would wind it's way down & end up @ the lodge. It was closed to general public vehicle traffic. So I missed out on more berries (just realized that!). All blowdowns were pretty much cut out on the trails. Only 1 minor patch of snow on trail. Would like to go back and go down to the lake (& circle it), maybe next year. Great day in the mts - especially when I came back into clouds around Randle. One note, road construction in about 3 places on Hwy 12 & 7 slows things down a bit.

Prior to Rainier Festival in Ashford, Woody and I got in a hike to Pinnacle Saddle. Our intent was to then head west & attempt to bag Denmon & Lane Peaks in the Tatoosh range. I had some info & maps but the path we ended up going on was not the way to go. We saw some folks just beyond the saddle (just past path going up to Plummer Peak) checking out marmots on the rocks & snowfields. We also checked them out and then continued on a well-established path/trail that continued along the eastern side of Plummer. We crossed a rock field & then the path faded. We continued for a ways around to the southern slope of Plummer & crossed another rock field. It didn't appear it was going to get any better & the going was rough. We turned around and re-crossed the rock fields but descended to avoid as much of them as possible. We were pretty spent when we returned to the saddle, so I'll have to research more & try this again in the future. Lots of wildflowers still blooming, bugs were bad but not terrible. Only a few scant huckleberries. Only minor snow on trail.

We have already summited Castle, Pinnacle, Plummer, & Eagle so a few of the mostly western Tatoosh we still need to do (and Unicorn too, but that's a toughie?). So the only advice I have is don't follow the path going around the eastern part of Plummer unless it's to check out the marmots (and snow). On way back, I did take a small glissade run to cool off - felt great. Festival was rockin', lots of Woody's favorite music, folk & bluegrass! And Dave Hahn not only had a humorous slide show, he even gave out free climbing socks! Yee-haw!

I had done the Crystal Mt loop 3 years ago & had summited Crystal Mt, Silver Queen, & Silver King @ that time. Had met Keith H at the time & exchanged info. I had wanted to also summit Threeway Peak but had not until today. Contacted Keith & he was nice to forward a lot of info about this hike/climb. I decided to do it from Chinook Pass instead of from Crystal but Keith's photos of the peak and routes were very helpful.

Hike from Chinook Pass toward Sheep Lake still has a lot of wildflowers. Asters most plentiful, also some thick Lupine meadows up by lake. Took about 1/2 hour to get to Sheep Lake, another 40 min to Sourdough Gap. Came upon 2 ladies near the gap & a man w/ them that was already at the Gap. We chatted a bit & I told them of my intention. They wanted to hike up toward where they could see the gondola @ Crystal but I told them they would have to go quite a ways. I recommended they go on the spur trail left off of the PCT & not too far up they would have great views of Crystal Lake(s) far below. I later found out they did this. I continued on the PCT past Threeway Peak which is off to the left going north on the PCT. I started up a gully toward the eastern ridge of Threeway. This was not too diffucult. I would recommend not going up to a saddle west of the Threeway summit. It looks like it might be doable from below but later up above I noticed there to be some steep cliffs. I continued west on the ridge but was stymied a bit by some steep rugged rocks. I finally decided to head down & around (what looked like it might be a path). This was ok but eventually I was forced to go up a gully & that was not fun. Very loose shale on the slopes of this peak - use caution! I eventually made it to the summit & a nice up close view of Mt Rainier. Further away peaks were not visible due to the haze from the recent wildfires. I took a few photos but did not stay long on the summit due to bugs, time constraint, and the narrow ledge that is the summit. I did not go back the way I came (the northern slope) but headed down another gully toward the PCT on the south side. Nothing like surfing on shale! I returned to my car tired but satisfied. I saw about 5 people going up & maybe 9 or 10 going down. Bugs not bad until I began climb up Threeway Peak. Warm day, almost used up all my H2O. Threeway Peak, for me anyway, was tougher than Silver Queen, Silver King, & Crystal Mt combined. There might be an easier way up, but I couldn't find it. Only 4 blowdowns on trail. Not much fall colors yet, but getting close.

This was an unplanned spur of the moment stop coming back up from a work meeting in Olympia. The day was so nice I couldn't resist. Right off of I5 between Lacey & Dupont in northern Thurston County is the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. I had walked the new boardwalk earlier this year but it was a little foggy then. Today was clear. I did not have a camera but there are great photo ops on the walk. The trail out to the boardwalk plus the boardwalk is around 2 miles one-way. Mt Rainier comes into better and better view back to the east the further out on the boardwalk you go. Lots of waterfowl, of course. Tide appeared to be in but going back out. Great job that was done on this boardwalk. Check it out if in area.

Plan B, due to too much snow on our planned Wonderland Trail hike (17 mile section from Fryingpan Creek to Box Canyon), we hiked Norway Pass/Mount Margaret. What a great choice it was. My partner for the day was Goober Canari.

We arrived at the parking lot, which had 8 to 10 vehicles already, to sunny skies and a nice breeze. Roads are all paved to this trailhead although the edge of Road 26 is crumbling in places but we made it easily in a Jetta. There are bathrooms at the trailhead. We hit the trailhead at about 9:45 AM. There is an immediate fork and we went right, (left goes east on the Boundary Trail). Most of this trail is in the open, although there are a few spots shaded by trees. LOTS of wildflowers during the entire hike as well as ripe huckleberries, yum. The trail is never real steep but steady uphill. Trail begins to switchback up and a fork reached where Norway Pass is to the right. The last section before Norway Pass is along a north facing slope so it was nice and cool. We met a few other hikers at the pass where the trail from/to Independence Pass is also located. That trail is currently closed due to a washout but a couple of ladies told us that they went in about ¼ of a mile and that there are really great views there. The trail to Mt Margaret was visible on the ridge in the distance, it goes around, slightly down, and back up. We eventually came to a spot where a peak came into view. We crossed a small flat snowfield, and following footprints, kept going straight. This took us to an outhouse. The trail stopped after that. What we ended up doing was going cross country up the slope of what we thought was Mt Margaret. It wasn’t, but we summited a lower mountain that we ended up referring to as Little Margaret. What we should have done was to go left near the end of the snowfield and the trail continued on. A solo female hiker (Danielle) that we passed earlier figured this out and we climbed down and met her at the trail fork to Whittier Trail (embarrassingly misspelled Whitter on the nice new sign!). We figured out that the next peak on the trail was, in fact, Mt Margaret and proceeded on the trail which goes around its flank. Two high snowfields must be crossed and I helped out Danielle with a trekking pole to make it across; the second snowfield was steeper. The snow was soft so we could kick steps. We followed the trail around Mt Margaret and found a path leading to the summit. After following the path a ways up, there is a red arrow pointing both left and right painted on the large rock wall. You should go right. It is mostly a path but some minor scrambling to the summit. A better route from the trail would be to cross the snowfields, and then head straight up to the summit. It is no harder and is shorter. There is an old survey marker on the summit. Views at the summit are of Mt Rainier, Adams, tip of Hood, and of course Mt St Helens and Spirit Lake. At least 2 other lakes could be seen. I noticed a haze in the lowlands that appeared to be from the recent wildfires (Big Hump wildfire in Olympics and wildfire north of Mt Hood). The haze appeared to lessen as the day went on. The trail continuing westward is also visible as it skirts several more mountains. We descended the shorter route I mentioned above with no trouble and rejoined the main trail. As we carefully re-crossed the first (steeper) snowfield Goober made it across and I was just finishing when we heard Danielle slip behind us. She slid about 25 to 30 feet before stopping at some dirt/gravel exposed in the snow. If she had slipped a little earlier the slide would have been more like 150 feet, although it seemed to flatten out at the bottom. She twisted her ankle but was otherwise ok. I let her borrow my hiking sticks for the hike back. We encountered another couple that saw it happen and they were also on their way to Mt Margaret (without sticks or ice axe). We watched them approach the 2nd snowfield but then hike all the way down and around, a good choice. Better safe than sorry. I would still recommend either trekking poles or better yet an ice axe. Boot traction devices might also be wise. The snowfields aren’t that long but one missed step and it could be bad. We watched Danielle for a little bit and she was making steady but slow progress back. Our return trip down was uneventful. Now is a great time for this hike – I haven’t seen this many wildflowers on many hikes. The slopes are growing back slowly in the blast zone. Pretty much every western Cascade wildflower, scarlet paintbrush the most plentiful. Also lots of lupine higher up. Bugs were not bad. Enjoyed some fine chilled beverages and salty snacks courtesy of Goober Canari at picnic tables by parking lot. The relaxation in the shade, breeze, and scenery topped off a great day.

13 of us in the Brooklake Hiking group set out on the new Glacier Basin trail; weather was perfect. I was really impressed by the job the volunteers w/ WTA did on this trail. Lots of hours spent indeed. I had not been on the new trail and had only been on the old trail once, many years back on a Mt Rainier climb. So some of the sights were familiar but mostly not. There are more openings to views than I thought there would be. Wildflowers were in bloom in the open areas along the trail. Some of the varieties were pink monkeyflowers, lupine, paintbrush (mostly scarlet), small flower penstemon, columbine, mouse on a stick, spreading stonecrop, tigerlillies, pink heather, valerian, etc. I ventured on the side trail to the Emmons Moraine trail which I would highly recommend. It is only about 0.4 to 0.5 mile to the end of the maintained trail. There are great views of the turquoise colored lake, the rest of the moraine, the Emmons Glacier snout, and close up views of Little Tahoma and the upper Emmons as well as Mt Ruth and Steamboat Prow. The group got separated a bit but we met back up at the Glacier Basin camp. A great spot for lunch and to kick back. Large meadow and streams in the area. We could see climbers going up the Inter glacier. Bugs weren't too bad on the hike in. They were more noticeable (mostly flies) when we stopped but minor amount of repellent seemed to keep them at bay. Most of the group decided to hike a little ways beyond the maintained trail for even closer up views. We turned back near a stream and narrow ridge. Lots of happy people on the trail today. Now is the time to hike in the park. A stop at the Greenwater general store for ice cream (best prices around) topped off a super day!

Set out w/ a handful of cars at parking lot. Skies fairly clear but a few clouds around the mountain. They would clear by the time I got to the lake. Trail is in good shape, only about 10 blowdowns and none difficult. Bugs not too bad, a few flies, not many skeeters. I went around the lake to the right (east) on the way up to the Rooster Comb. Views to the east and north open up through the trees. A couple of small snow patches with lillies poking through on the ridge. Just before the summit, one larger snowfield but easy to walk down and around. Views at top are not 360 but more than 180 with a few trees here and there. You can see in every direction by walking along the rocky ridge a few paces. Olympics to the west, Baker (barely) and Glacier Peak to north, Mt Stuart and Cashmere to the east, Bearhead to SE, and of course Rainier. Nice views of Summit Lake below. Wildflowers along route, valerian most prevalent. Up on ridge, scarlet & magenta paintbrush, lupine, yellow dasies, avalanche & tiger lillies, & many more. I descended going down around the other side of the lake of which another trail descends from the top. Very quiet at the lake despite some people camping. I only saw 6 people during the hike. Not much wildlife but a few swallowtail butterflies fluttering about at the rooster comb summit. Did hear pikas in a rockfield but didn't see them. Great hike, not long, great vistas, scenic lake. In my Top 10, even though only my third time up there.

Had hiked Mount Defiance a couple of years ago but no views as weather was socked in. Today was the perfect weather day to go back. Ira Spring parking lot close to full upon my arrival around 10:30.

Was passed by a jogger and other hikers going up. Thought I was setting a decent pace (must be getting old!). Started seeing more hikers coming down around fork to Bandera. Lots of dogs too. As the trail came out onto open slopes more, noted wildflowers at their peak bloom and even vine maple turning color. What a wierd year. At least summer's finally arrived! Talked to a few people coming down, nobody had gone to Mt Defiance, most to the lake. Did talk to 2 girls that had gone to the base of Bandera and to the fork w/ Defiance trail but didn't know how far it was and turned around. Oh to be young and fancy free. Noticed there is a plaque for Ira Spring on one of the big rocks in a boulder field just before the trail starts down for Mason Lakes. When I arrived at Mason Lake some folks were just setting up campsites. Lake was gorgeous. Continued on to fork w/ Trail #1009 and went left. Hike gains elevation through forest. Lake Kulla Kulla barely visible below through trees. A couple of snow patches left but none on trail. Bursting out of the forest onto the final ridge, pretty much every mid elevation Western Cascade wildflower blooming. Slopes were alive w/ color (and bugs). Small rock cairn at junction to right w/ climbers path to summit. Views at top of Mt's Baker, Glacier Peak, Stuart, Rainier, Olympics, McClellan Butte, and many other area peaks. I also counted 9 lakes. Didn't stay too long due to the bugs. On way down passed several other people coming up path. One group of 4 had summitted Putrid Pete's Peak and had gone cross country and bisected this trail. They weren't sure what trail they were exactly on. They weren't interested in summitting Defiance, they just wanted to return to their car at Ira Spring trailhead. I told them they could follow me back to the main trail that I was going that way. The lady in the group said that their hike was supposed to be a "short hike"! We parted ways at Mason Lake. Had another runner go flying past me coming down. She stopped at the Bandera fork and asked me a few questions about it. She decided not to attempt it today. Only 3 blowdowns on entire hike. Good workout and views for those that wish to go all the way to Defiance summit.

After doing Mt Aix last year was eager to return to Bumping Lake area. Arrived at Goat Creek trailhead #959 which is on the right side of Bumping River Road almost directly across from Cougar Flat Campground (the campground was closed but Soda Flats campground about a mile before this trailhead was open - for those who may wish to camp). Mine was the only vehicle at the trailhead - No parking permit/pass is required at this trailhead.

The trail starts out near Goat Creek but doesn't really approach it. The William O Douglas Wilderness is soon entered. For the first 2 miles or so all blowdowns are cut out. There are a couple of peekaboo views to the southeast but trail #959 is mostly in forest. The last half or so of this trail up to the junction w/ American Ridge trail contained about 30 blowdowns across trail. Most were small but some required ducking under or going over or around (another 12-15 blowdowns were on the American Ridge trail). Guidebook mentioned that trail is dry w/ no water. But I did cross a stream at around the 3 mile mark (maybe just the late snowmelt seaon?). I arrived at the junction w/ the American Ridge trail and went right. It was more open up on the ridge and wildflowers are blooming. Most prevalent were lupine, paintbrush and yellow asters/daisies. Also saw some scarlet gilia. Somewhere along the way I lost my trail guide description that I copied & had in my pocket. Still had my Greentrails map though. I wasn't sure if the trail went all the way to the summit and I followed what looked to be a rough path up to what I thought was the summit. Got in some steep scrambling but summitted 2 different lower peaks/false summits on the ridge. I eventually found the trial again and it goes to within a few hundred feet of the Goat Peak summit. It is obvious that this used to be a lookout site. Nice flat area on the summit. Views from the summit include Mt's Rainier, Adams, Stuart, Aix, Bumping Lake, Fife Peaks, etc, etc. After spending 20 to 30 minutes on summit taking pix and having lunch another person reached the summit, Schlomoe (sp?) a fine gentleman originally from Israel. First thing he did was say, I bet this is yours. It was my guidebook description that he found on the trail. We spoke for awhile and exchanged stories about some of the hikes we've done. Schlomoe has been concentrating lately on doing all of American Ridge and other hikes in the area. This was his 3rd Goat Peak summit, all from different trails. We also discovered that we both did the same hike (Sunrise & Jumbo Peaks) a day apart last weekend. I left him to enjoy his lunch at the summit and returned to the car. I stayed with the trail the whole way down this time! Only wildlife a pesky few chipmunks at the summit. Not quite as bold as the ones you see at many trailheads in Mt Rainier NP, etc. Also saw some hummingbirds. Really enjoyed this hike, worth the long drive. Will be back.

 

Thanks to Tylakewalker for the recent trail report I decided to go down to an area I have wanted to explore for awhile. My hiking partner for the day was Goober Canari. Our goal was to summit Sunrise and Jumbo Peaks off of the Juniper Ridge trail. On our drive to the area we were met with clouds and fog. Fortunately by the time we reached the Sunrise Peak trailhead we had gotten just above the clouds. The road was fine for my SUV but could be drivable with a passenger car with care.

The trail started out steeply but later moderated. At the trail fork just under a mile we went right onto trail #262A. This trail rounded Sunrise Peak from the south to the west side. There were numerous wildflowers along the slopes (this would be prevalent thoughout most of the hike). A short steep spur trail, #261A, leads to the summit. There is even a handrail for the last rocky scramble. It took us a little over an hour to reach the top, partially due to all the photo ops we took. The summit is a former lookout site and the views are 360 degrees. Mount Adams, Rainier, St Helens, and even Hood in the distance. Our next destination, Jumbo Peak was visible to the south and we studied a potential route. The hogback leading up from the north appeared to be the best bet. We descended down the spur and continued on to a junction with the Juniper Ridge (#261) trail. Parts of the trail were rutted due to its multi-use with motorbikes. The less steep parts of the trail were less rutted. As we headed south more wildflowers and mountain views appeared around each bend. We went a little too far south on the trail and ended up having to do a little bushwhacking back toward the east to attain the hogback ridge. A couple of small snow fields but easily navigated. From there the summit was easy hiking south along the hogback with a small portion of Class 2 scrambling. This summit was similar to Sunrise Peak. But Mt Adams seemed even closer. A few more bugs on this summit, but no skeeters and nothing too bothersome. We found a lot of goat hair and scat on the summit (but, unfortunately, no goats). We saw no people until we began our descent. We descended following a path down the hogback heading north, but the path soon peetered out. We were able to go cross country and soon reconnect with the trail. We saw 2 motorbike riders who we spoke with. They wanted to go as far as Dark Divide but it was still too snowed in. We also saw a group of 4 people attain a sattellite peak between Sunrise and Jumbo. We could hear them hootin' & hollerin'. We followed the trail back the way we came until we reached trail #262 again and a shortcut back to our starting point. We passed one solo female backpacker and a group of 6 near the trailhead. We also heard more hootin' & hollerin'. Yes, the group of 4 had just summitted Jumbo Peak. We know the feeling. Ow-Woo!

This is a great area and I'm glad I made it down there. A wildflower bonanza glowing in the sun, few bugs, and mountain vistas, etc. I'll definitely be back to explore more. Now is the time to visit this area as the wildflowers are at their peak and should be for at least a couple more weeks. Goober bringing along cold beverages and salty cheddar snacks and a later stop at Scaleburgers in Elbe, where we shared a table w/ Thelma & Louise, topped of the fine day,

Brooklake Hiking Group (10 of us) set out for the east side of Snoqualmie Pass to do the Kachess Beacon hike. The directions I had weren't the greatest, here's the route. After taking Exit 70 off I90, go left back over the freeway and then left again (signed for several roads). Go right on Kachess Dam road which is about the third road down. The sign for FR 4818 is just up the road but not visible as you first turn. Go about 1 mile on this road and then go right on a narrow unsigned road. At the time of our hike it had a paper sign for a boy scout troop. Go 1/2 mile to the trailhead. There was only one other car upon our arrival at 9 AM. There were a few skeeters at the trailhead so we applied bug juice. The trailhead is marked for Trails 1212 (Easton Ridge) and 1315 (Kachess Ridge). After going in a short distance another sign marks the Kachess Ridge trail which is to the left.

The trail starts out steep and then moderates. It continued to switchback up and eventually we saw a trail off to the left that was blocked with sticks. This trail also leads to the beacon but is not on the Green Trails map. We would take it on the return trip to make a loop. We continued on through the woods. The trail approaches Silver Creek and follows it for a while. After about 2 miles we reached the junction for the spur trail to Kachess Beacon. It is well marked with a sign and impossible to miss, despite the Green Trails map stating that it can be hard to find. Before we headed up the spur trail we headed on the main trail a very short distance to the crossing of Silver Creek where a new bridge was part of a Boy Scout project (a job very well done - with treated lumber no less). We took a few photos of the group on this bridge and then backtracked and headed up the spur trail. It is a fairly steady climb up to the beacon site which breaks out into the open for views. Mt Rainier to the southwest, and Keechelus and Kachess Lakes below and many other area peaks. Wildflowers were also in bloom on the ridge. Some notable varieties not seen on the west side as frequently include Spreading Stonecrop, Scarlet Gilia, and the supposedly rare Columbia Lewisia although one whole hillside was covered with the Lewisia. Although I was able to find the unfamiliar ones in my wildflower guide, Bob, as always, was able to identify them faster than I could look them up. There were also a lot of Lupine, as well as paintbrush and columbine. The beacon was just too tempting and a few of our group climbed up to the top for better views. There was a nice breeze on the ridge and this helped keep the bugs down. After a lunch break we headed back on the unmarked ridge trail. The views were much better and the breeze was refreshing. But this trail is quite steep and loose scree makes it a bit dicey. A few members (especially those without 2 trekking poles) of our party had some hopla's (slips). But only a scrape or two, nothing serious. The trail's grade finally subsided and we were back at the junction where the sticks are, and back into the forest (and the bugs). Before we knew it back at the car. Cars were now lined all the way down the road. The 3 teenage girls in our group did great. On our drive back, we made a stop at the Dairy Freeze in North Bend for some big burgers and shakes. Topped off a great day!

After seeing this hike featured on this site thought I'd check it out. Directions weren't real great on finding the trailhead. I parked in a small clearing in the forest just south of Camp Sheppard (seeing 1 other car there). I actually was a little over a mile from the trailhead junction to Little Ranger Peak. If you want to start out right on the Little Ranger Peak trail, it is exactly across highway 410 from the Buck Creek R.A. aka FR 7160. Anyway, I ended up hiking an extra mile or so of the White River Trail which was ok as I hadn’t hiked this stretch before. I passed a lady & dog, a family, and 2 mt bikers on the White River Trail. I would pass no other people the rest of the day. The trail pretty much the whole way is in the forest. Lots of coralroot noted in the forest. The trail switchbacked up and eventually came to a junction with the spur to Little Ranger Peak (a short walk). The actual peak is a small rock outcropping which is hard to sit on but not too hard to scramble up & over to a more flat lookout where the view is better (despite what the guidebook states). It just involves negotiating a narrow ledge that must be scrambled to reach the flat perch - use caution. This would not be ideal for a large group as there's not a lot of space to sit nor would I let young kids run amok up there. The summit of Mt Rainier is visible thru the trees. The White River valley is the main view to the south. A few wildflowers on the rocks. Nice quiet spot for lunch. I returned to the trail fork and back to the car. Ended up doing more like 8 to 9 miles rather than the 6 listed for this trail. Will come back and explore further on Palisades trail in the future.

My college buddy Adrian and I hiked the Wallace Falls/Lake loop. Adrian lives in Snohomish, so this hike is in his "backyard" so to speak. I am a South Sounder. Neither of us had hiked here before. Timing was great for a number of reasons. First, State Parks will be charging $10 per car (or buy annual pass) to park here starting July 1st (next weekend). Also, an early start on a Friday meant less crowds - we hit the trailhead a little before 8 AM. Only saw one person all the way up (a few on the way down). Rod, a fine parks worker, not only took our photo at the trailhead, but also provided us with a site map of Wallace Falls State Park. Rod, you represent the parks well.
 
After going under some power lines, we took the Woody Trail turnoff. Made good time to the Lower Falls. Many moss covered second growth trees along the way. The Middle Falls are also visible from this viewpoint and they are spectacular. There is also a covered picnic shelter at this point. Curious chipmunk there. We continued on to the Middle Falls and got many good pix & video. There is also a valley overlook near the Middle Falls. We reached the upper falls, which is the end of the maintained trail. Those falls are less spectacular but also nice in that they flow into a round bowl. We continued on, after reading the warning signs. This was the only part of the hike where you needed to follow markings on trees. We soon reached the upper grade road. This is pretty flat to the lake and was mostly uneventful, save for Adrian's stepping into a sink hole almost to his knee. A major hopla! Adrian was ok and we continued. Began raining upon reaching Wallace Lake. Didn't explore much there. We headed back down and found the turnoff for the Greg Bell trail (ok, its actually Greg Ball, but thought I'd throw that in there for any old LA Rams fans around). Adrian shifted his massive frame into downhill mode and actually reminded me of the former Rams running back as he led us bounding down to the Railroad grade. Nice new-looking composting privy there. Saw a few people on the last stretch back on the Woody Trail. Total distance about 9.1 miles.
 
Great area, glad I found out about it. Hopefully can make it back on a clearer day, but actually this was an ideal hike for overcast weather also. Topped off our trek with lunch at Todos Mexico in Snohomish. I'd recommend it!

Brooklake Hiking Group (11 of us and 2 dogs) decided to do our plan B hike for the day as the weather was drizzly and Mt Si would not be worth the effort today. Trailheads are at both ends of parking lot near Camp Sheppard making a loop hike possible. We took the trail heading north thru Camp Sheppard and beyond. We initially got on a trail that contained quite a few blowdowns and was not the White River trail. We eventually connected with that trail and from there the travel wasn’t hard. Trail switchbacked up hillside and within a couple of miles we came to Snoquera Falls. Very high falls and a lot of water coming down. Low clouds moved in as we got closer to the falls. There is a side path up to the base of the falls which I explored but the views were somewhat obscured. The regular trail crosses Snoquera Creek and continues into the forest on the other side. There are several trail junctions that are marked and it was not difficult to find our way back to the parking lot and completion of the loop. All in all we did not get that wet. This is a great hike for an overcast, drizzly day like today was. Other options to lengthen (or shorten) the trip are possible. Trail passes are required at this trailhead. Wapiti Woolies was glad to see us, post-hike, as I believe the pass is still closed and business, I’m sure, has been slow.
 

Well, a few members of the Brooklake Hiking Group (5 of us) just didn’t get enough exercise with the Snoquera Falls loop hike so we stopped and made a quick jaunt up Pinnacle Peak in Enumclaw; better known to the locals as “Mount Peak”. It was raining pretty much the whole way but a good workout just the same. We only saw a couple of people, one guy in shorts. Trail is in good shape, although water flowing down due to the rain.

Hiked to Rattlesnake Ledge and a bit beyond today. To the ledge it is about 2 miles. The trail is in good shape and it took me about 45 min to get there. There were about 15 people sunning themselves on the ledge when I arrived. Nice views of Snoqualmie Valley, Mt Si, Mt Washington and other Snoqualmie area peaks, Rattlesnake Lake far below, and Chester Morse Lake. Had lunch and hiked a bit further up the ridge (maybe 1/4 mile) and stopped at a second lookout. More wildflowers in bloom here (Paintbrush, Penstemon, and others). Had this rocky lookout to myself and enjoyed the sun for about 20 minutes before a couple of ladies arrived. Views almost as good as at the ledge. Could look down on the more crowded ledge on the people. If you like less folks this second lookout is a better choice (hope I'm not giving away any secrets!). Saw lots of people on the way down, teenagers and younger kids, and one group of 6 people each with a baby on their back. Way to go!

Thompson Lake was a plan B due to overcast weather. I set out via the Granite Lakes road/trail. The route to Granite Lakes junction w/ Thompson Lake trail was clear of snow and my guess is that Granite Lakes are probably mostly melted out although I didn't go down to the lakes. All blowdowns on the road hike in have been cut out and the route was in good shape. After taking the left fork to Thompson Lake, snow began not too far up the route. Patchy at first and then continuous. There are also several small trees across the route up to Thompson Lake. I was able to continue w/ just hiking boots and poles and did not sink in the snow much. I made it the first 1.1 mile to the junction where the route officially becomes trail. I noted the sign directing straight to Thompson Lake and continued on following very faint footprints. I soon could find no route and turned around. Snow at that point was several feet deep. I would guess this route to Thompson Lake is several weeks if not a month from melting out. On the hike back, I passed the only other hiker I would see on the day going up not too far before the junction of Granite Lakes and Thompson Lake. He was also heading to Thompson Lake and I informed him of the route conditions. I recommended to him that he might want to go to Granite Lakes as the Thompson Lake route would be difficult to find let alone negotiate. He told me he came to Granite Lakes a couple of months ago and that it was snowed in at that time. My guess is that he probably continued on to Thompson Lake but hey, what the heck, freedom of the hills, right? There are several nice waterfalls on the mountainside to the west (Mailbox Peak, Dirty Harry's Peak?)that I was able to see better on the way out after the clouds cleared out a bit. I would recommend the Granite Lakes hike now but wait at least a couple of weeks (if not longer) before attempting Thompson Lake.

Followed this site's directions and they were pretty good except the Wedekind Picnic Area was not marked nor could I find anything that looked like a picnic table, etc. The trailhead is after going right at a Y (the right fork quickly ends at a large cleared area which can serve as parking. The trailhead is marked on the right just before the large cleared area. The trail is in good shape and the Greenline #6 trail is reached in about 0.6 miles (my estimate, guide says 0.3). Fork is marked to go right to Capitol Peak. Several road crossings are made by this trail. Always stick with the Greenline #6 trail, this will take you up near the summit. The second crossing is the only one that might be confusing. A multi fork of roads is reached. Go to the right uphill road (not extreme right downhill). You will find the trail again on the left side. After 4 miles the road reaches another multi fork of roads. This is the end of the trail. Take the middle road which is gated. I didn't see anybody the whole time until there. About 5 or 6 mountain bikers were gathered ready to descend. When I reached the gate, there was a hiker descending as well as a Qwest employee opening the gate so he could drive out. I spoke briefly with them. The hiker had started down below but not at the trailhead I used. This last stretch of road is a steep 1/2 mile or so to the summit. You can see all the towers from a distance. I also saw 2 ATV riders as well as one motorcycle rider. I did, however, have the summit all to myself. Nice views, although there were still some high clouds obscuring most of Mt Rainier. Mt St Helens was visible. Views to the west can be had on the western summit area, although they are not as good as the ones to the north and east. Puget Sound and Seattle's skyline were also visible. The highs and lows of the hike: High points were solitude on the trail, even the road crossings, I saw nobody. Nice trail in good shape. No motorized transport allowed on this trail. Only a few muddy spots, no blowdowns. Trail not steep, mostly flat or slight grade. Good workout distance-wise with almost 10 miles round trip. The lows were the fact that you can drive within almost 1/2 mile of the summit. Not my cup of tea usually but I had a nice hike. Weather was perfect for hiking in the '60's and sunny. Clouds cleared out more later and I stopped for more views on drive out by a large deposit of slash from logging roadside. I don't see this becoming popular like Mt Si anytime soon, as I saw suggested in a hiking guide. Trail is mostly used by mountain bikes and area is popular with ATV's. But check it out if your in the area.

Brooklake Hikers (10 of us + 2 dogs) hiked the trail to Kamikaze Falls. The trailhead is at a school bus turnaround about a mile past the Mount Si trailhead on Mt Si Blvd. There were already 8 to 10 vehicles upon our arrival at around 8:45 AM but there was still room for the 3 vehicles in our group. We encountered several parties that were going for the summit of Mt Teneriffe, which is possible by going up the road (7 miles) or past the falls and continuing on a steep way path (less than half the mileage). The trail to the falls was snow free and fairly dry. The weather was overcast but perfect hiking weather for going to some falls. We had 4 hikers new to our group and everybody seemed to enjoy the day. Several members of the group want to do Mt Si next month. I'm sure the snow will be gone there soon(?)

My intent was to hike up to Capitol Peak west of Olympia. I drove a succession of roads west of Olympia per guide book directions. Little traffic the whole way until I reached the C-Line. Then I found myself in a string of about 6 or 7 vehicles, 3 of which were Lacey Police (large paddy wagon), Orting Police cruiser, and another security type vehicle. The going was about 5 to 10 miles per hour. Upon seeing I still had 7 miles or so to the Capitol Peak trailhead I bailed (due to time constraints, etc.). I spotted a trailhead that stated Mt Molly - Porter #3 Trail. Wanting to at least stretch my legs I got out and set out on this multi-use trail. There were some nice views of Mt Rainier and even Mt St Helens (partial) across a large valley. I didn't encounter anyone else but I could hear ATV's or dirt bikes a couple of times. Other than that I had a peaceful 2 to 3 mile walk which I looped back up with the road higher up and returned to my vehicle. If ATV's/dirt bikes or other motorized transport is your thing (not mine) there appear to be countless miles of wide track trails all around the Capitol Forest. I'll be back to take another whack at Capitol Peak some time soon.

Goober Canari and I set out for the sunnier, drier, side of the state with a hike along the Yakima Rim. It took us around 2 hours to get from Puget Sound lowlands to Ellensburg. The Umtanum Creek crossing was not difficult w/ my SUV, the water only being a couple of feet deep. We began the ascent up to Umtanum Ridge from there. We saw the only person we would see up there on a motorcycle. We found the north trailhead which is another old road. We chose to continue in the car and drove almost 4 miles on the rough road before parking and setting out on foot. The views are incredible up on the ridge. Mt Rainier and Mt Adams to the west and the Stuart Range to the north. Skies were clear but it was quite windy, enough to keep us in jackets. We walked to the end of the road and a little ways past to the edge of the ridge. From this vantage point we could see the Yakima River with its many twists and bends, as well as the Mahre Ski Pond. The wildflowers are at their spring peak. The most prevalent are the Balsamroot and Lupine. We also found numerous amounts of flowering Simpson's Hedgehog Cactus. There were many other varieties of wildflowers and the hills were still quite green. We also noted many old fenceposts including corner posts weighted down with rocks. Incredible that settlers at one time attempted to scratch out a living up here. We returned to the car - about 5 miles round trip of hiking. We next set out for the Umptanum Creek trailhead off of Highway 821. Quite a few more folks at the parking lot for that trailhead. We crossed the suspension footbridge and ducked under the RR tracks. We hadn't gone but a few paces before we spotted a PNW Rubber Boa slithering away in the grass. These snakes are supposedly not often seen by people but another WTA writer posted a picture of one recently and now our sighting (it was too quick for my camera). We walked about 3 miles or so along the creek. The temps were warmer down here with less wind. We also saw desert marmots and evidence of beavers (but no beavers) and, at our turnaround point, a rattler (No, not Theo Ratliff, a rattlesnake). Goober's fine trail moxie enabled him to see the rattlesnake on the trail (before one of us stepped on it) and we watched it slither into the tall grass. We would also see a garter snake, making 3 types of snakes sighted. We returned to the car having logged about 10 miles on foot and many more in the car. We encountered few bugs and no ticks (and no Tic Douloureaux). We topped off this great day in the sun and nature with a stop at the Tav in Ellensburg for Super Mother Burgers and cold beverages. I hope to return to this area to do more exploring of the Yakima Rim area. Now is a great time to head here with the comfortable temps, sun, wildflowers, and snow free trails/roads. I wouldn't recommend a passenger car for the drive up to the ridge, however.

After doing a loop thru Dupont last year, & after talking w/ a workmate that just went down there decided to do the stretch of trail along Sequalitchew Creek. I wasn't able to find it at first but found it in a roundabout way. How you get to the trailhead is take Center Drive exit off I5 and follow Center Drive thru 2 or 3 lights until you get to the Civic Center. Park in the parking lot closest to City Hall (the N end). The trail begins behind (W of) City Hall. There are signs pointing the way. The trail goes to the left of a locked gate, plenty of room to get thru. The first part is gravel, then paved for a short while, then gravel again. The trail follows the creek and after a mile or so comes to a tunnel going under the railroad tracks. After coming out the other side of the tunnel you are just a short walk away from the beach. I went beach-combing only to the south. There is a sandbar a little ways to the south but at a higher tide level required getting past a stretch of big rocks which I had to climb over. The rest of the way was nice gravelly beach, even at a higher tide (tide was going out by the time of my visit). I saw a very large bald eagle on a post on the sandbar. There is also what appeared to be a big rock just beyond the sandbar. But when I zoomed in with my camera it appeared to possibly be an old hulk of a sailing vessel? I didn't see anybody else on the beach and almost nobody else on the trail. Weather ok - rain held off for the most part but a slight drizzle toward the end. Nice section of rugged coastline - check it out if you're in the area.

Thought I'd check out this park since I'd driven by the turnoff off Hwy 18 so many times over the years. I was the only car in the large parking areas. Soon after a couple of guys showed up who were going to raft the river. Seems a bit cold to me, hopefully they've got a dry suit? I had heard that there isn't much of the flaming geyser left & that is right. It is just past the lodge in a concrete circle. No flame noted. The trail to the bubbling geyser is blocked off due to an unsafe bridge but there are other ways around it. The bubbling geyser is gray in color and I noted the smell of methane and/or sulfur in the air. The water is cold. I continued on a wide trail (former road?) upstream along the Green River. Trail was pretty muddy but easy to follow. Eventually the trail enters the Green River Gorge area. It gets more overgrown and eventually peters out after a mile of so. Still some signs of flooding around. Nice, peaceful, hike. Nobody else on the trail. I wouldn't go out of my way to check this out but if you live close, lots of trails to check out in the park.

Brooklake Hikers (9 of us) embarked on a hike up Green Mountain from the Gold Creek trailhead. Not that many cars at the trailhead at around 9 AM. Weather conditions were the best of the year as it appeared the temps would finally get above 60 degrees. We had 3 or 4 beginner/novice hikers on this trip and I think this trail fit the bill. It has some elevation gain, but never gets really steep. The trail is in good condition, mud in only a few spots and water on the trail for 2 brief sections. No snow anywhere on or off trail. On our way up, we passed a few hikers and 2 bikers that were coming down. We also made way for 3 people on horseback that had stashed plastic Easter eggs on stumps etc along the trail. Now that's my idea of an Easter egg hunt! At the first picnic area with the views to the west, the views of the nearby Olympic peaks were great. The views are thru the trees but nice just the same. At the true summit, the view is looking out to the east and it provides farther away views of Rainier (top half), and all the Cascades to the north up to Mt Baker (if you go down and look thru the trees). It was a bit hazier, but no cloud cover. It felt great to bask in the sun on the rocks and have lunch. Where have you been Senor Sol? Despite this being a mixed use trail, we only saw about 5 horses and 3 motorbikes. Even on this first sunny day in quite some time. Upon arriving back at the trailhead the parking lot was closer to full. No Rhodies in bloom yet - I would imagine in another month or so.

I arrived at the school bus turnaround and there was one other car. This being Friday I made sure I parked up near the gate (but not blocking it) as to not get towed (I saw a van being towed the previous time I hiked this last year – so be careful). Hit the trail about 9:15. No sign ID’ing any of the road/trail’s destinations. First section is on a logging road. Turn off to falls is almost a mile in. No sign at the turn off either, but it is a wide path to the right. Trail is fairly flat until it reaches the base of Mt Teneriffe. Then it begins to switchback up. Mountains to Sound Greenway and DNR have done a good job of building new trail up to falls. The only sign on the entire trail is a new sign at one of the switchbacks where on old trail went straight (now blocked with tree limbs). The trail sign has an arrow pointing right and states Teneriffe Falls 1 mile. As I continued I began to get above the low snow line, although there really wasn’t any snow on the trail. Snow melt dripped down from the trees. It appeared that the falls were more like 1.25 miles or so from the sign. I found an area to easily rock hop across the creek into an open area (drip-free) with the best view of the falls. I’m not sure if these falls are named Kamikaze or Teneriffe Falls but either way they are impressive and worth the effort to reach them. On my way down I passed a lady & her dog going to the falls. Later, on the logging road, I passed a party of 4 that informed me they were going for the summit of Teneriffe (via the falls) after attempting Kaleetan Peak in the morning but turning around due to avalanche conditions. It was already about noon so hopefully they made it. I saw that at least 12 or more made the summit on Saturday, according to other trip reports on this site. Lots of options up here. You can also go up Mt Si from the logging road, although I have yet to do that route. Maybe later this year.

Hit Chirico trailhead of Poo Poo point at about 9:30 AM. Lots of mud and standing water in the field leading to the trailhead. The trail itself was in good shape with only a couple short stretches of water and/or mud on trail. I passed a few people on the way up and quite a few were also coming down. No snow on the trail, only minimal snow off trail (not counting the remnants of a snowman or snow fort at the southern paraglider launch point). Nobody on top when I arrived at the northern launch point. A bit overcast so no major mountain views but views of the surrounding valleys, Lake Sammamish, Bellevue, etc. After a quick bite on the launch pad a few other folks arrived. One was a sweet old lady I had passed on the way up. We began chatting and we headed down together, talking about this hike and that hike, etc. She is going to be heading to do 4 hikes on the Appalachian Trail next week. I didn't get her name but if she happens to read this, best of luck. You go girl! Also, I hope you make it up to Mystic Lake someday soon.

Finally checked out Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve. Day was suppposed to be showery but was sunny in AM. Nothing too exciting about this place but a lot of small mounds throughout area. Nobody knows for sure what caused the mounds to form; they can be found in several prairies around the country. Flowers not blooming yet - about a month away. From Interpretive Center a 1/2 mile loop paved path heads south. Unpaved trails head south from the loop several more miles. I walked to the south boundary and back. I got off of the actual trail for awhile but it would be hard to get lost. Several houses and farms adjacent to the Mima Mounds NAR. Fairly quiet as no one else was out on the trails. I didn't see anybody until I was almost back. Will have to check this out again when flowers are out.

Ok, this is not a mt hike or even a trail. It is a paved suburban path that encircles the Chambers Bay golf course. This is in my neck of the woods so I walk this loop quite a bit. I just bought a new camera so this was a nice clear day to try it out!

There are 2 parking lots, one at the northern end of the loop and one down below at the southern end. Don't park in the lot at the golf clubhouse/restaurant unless you're golfing (or eating). There is a hill at each end for a bit of an extra workout. I'd recommend going counter-clockwise if it is a clear day as the Olympic mts will be in front of you up top. There is also (recently added) a bridge spanning the railroad tracks that allows access of the beach. The southern beach access is dog off-leash allowed. I have seen the following on my many walks here: bald eagles, sea lions, seals, coyotes, waterfowl of all kinds, and of course many people and dogs. There are nice views of the Olympics and even a tip top view of Rainier's summit from the far end of the bridge.

Check it out if you're in the South Sound.+

Just thought I'd drop a note that the new Nisqually Wildlife Area's boardwalk opened up last week. Dikes have been removed and the tide was in during my walk. From parking lot to end of boardwalk & back close to 5 miles. Foggy and cold on way out but cleared up on way back. Check it out if in area.

The Sequim area had a recent small layer of snow making it quite picturesque. All roads to the trailhead were easily navigated. I left the trailhead at about 9:20 AM. There are a couple of lookouts near the trailhead on the wooded bluff above the beach. There are sweeping views of the spit, lighthouse and surrounding waterways below. The trail through the forest is about half a mile before the beach is reached. It is another 5 miles to the lighthouse. It was about 1 to 2 hours past high tide but the beach was accessible so I did not have to walk over the driftwood in the middle of the spit. I saw the first bald eagle before the half mile mark, sitting on a large pole. It flew off when I got close. I would see a few more later in the walk. I also saw several large ships go by as well as smaller watercraft. Weather conditions were fairly calm although it started to cloud in a bit more. I encountered no rain or snow during the entire walk. There are mile post markers along the spit. I saw what I believe were a few harlequin ducks and also a snowy plover. At around 3 miles the beach became more gravelly and a bit harder to walk on than the hard sand. This is also around the point where the lighthouse comes into view from the beach. I encountered no other hikers on the walk in but did meet 2 women who are caretakers at the lighthouse a little ways up from the lighthouse. They were combing the beach, picking up litter. It took me about 1 H 45 Min to make it to the lighthouse. There were 2 other women at the lighthouse who were the volunteer tour guides when I arrived. The lighthouse has a lot of artifacts and pictures from its history, which dates back to 1857. It's called the New Dungeness Lighthouse as it was rebuilt in 1927 and is now shorter than the original version. Wikipedia states:

Today, the lighthouse is manned weekly by society members who pay a fee to stay at the light. People are welcome to take the 5½ mile hike on the worlds longest sand-spit to reach the station. The society members are always excited to see new hikers and are more than happy to give you a tour of the station all the way to the lantern room.

I can vouch for the above, I was given a tour and really enjoyed it. There is a museum in the lighthouse building, but the room that normally houses it was being remodeled. The artifacts and other history are still on-site. And they take you all the way up to the light beacon (unless you have a fear of heights!). Some nice views from up in the top of the lighthouse. Had lunch at picnic table on the grounds. There is also a short memorial loop trail that goes slightly beyond the lighthouse, although the extreme tip, like the Dungeness Bay side of the spit, is closed to public entry to protect important wildlife habitat. The tip has grown since the construction of the lighthouse at a rate of about 15 feet per year. I met 2 hikers on my way back. The tide was going out, exposing more sandy beach for walking. A golf cart sized vehicle passed me later on the way back with 2 men, I’m assuming, going out to be keepers of the lighthouse. There were no other folks encountered until I was heading back up the bluff. A great way to spend a winter’s day. Will have to come out in summer when weather is warmer. I would recommend this hike any time of the year.

The photo on the left was, unfortunately, after I returned to North Bend. However, even though the weather was low clouds/fog, there was no rain and even a few sun breaks. Noting "jack4hike"s write-up on the same day, I must say that this is not the trail to do for peace and quiet. I have noted that some people in pairs do talk loudly on the trail sometimes, but I disagree that almost all are athletes and not nature lovers. I was solo so I was quiet and enjoyed the hike. It is probably a better choice to use the old Si trail as it is usually far less used. Anyway, I took the new trail and did not see many people on the way up. It took me about 1 hr 40 min to reach Haystack Basin. No snow on the trail until past the 3.5 mile mark. Snow on trail light - up on top of the basin a few inches of snow. 3 ladies up there told me I brought the sun with me as it just peeked out from the clouds as I arrived. Not really any views as it was still too cloudy. I saw many more people on the way down and by the time I returned to North Bend it had cleared out quite a bit - thus the nice picture of Mt Si you see above.

I know a ton of people hike this but I thought I'd drop a quick note that this is a trail that is still snow free. The cable line is steep, took me just over an hour to get to West Tiger summit #3. Of course there is a more gradual trail, but longer, to this summit. I went back that way. Not much water or mud on trail, still in pretty good shape.

Endless Summer! This great fall weather prompted me to take Wednesday off & head up to Kendall Katwalk trailhead (PCT) which I'd read a lot about but never attempted and also a side trip to Kendall peak summit. Got to trailhead & departed about 8:30 AM. Cool in forest of which trail is mostly in for first 2-3 miles. Trail has long switchbacks thru forest. Trail is in great shape, only a few small sections w/ water, mud on trail. Trail climbs moderately first few miles. Alpine Lakes boundary soon reached and at 2 1/2 miles junction to left goes to Commonwealth Basin. Stay right and uphill on PCT. Steeper switchbacks after that point. Still in forest for awhile. More openings between 3 and 4 miles. Views of many area peaks including Red Mountain, right in front of you. Mt Rainier also rises over ridge to south. Open meadows reached at base of Kendall Peak. After crossing a long rockfall, there are 2 short switchbacks. Not long after the switchbacks I found a boot path on the right. I took this and was able to follow it all the way up to the summit. It is steep but not long. This path took me to a saddle. The true summit is to the right and a path will take you up and around the summit block to the top. Awesome views 360 degrees. Many area peaks as well as Mt Stuart, parts of Mt Adams and Glacier Peak, even part of Olympic range, and of course, Mt Rainier. There is a summit register at the top which I signed. I was able to find that phone booth on Cave Ridge that somebody got up there, so the rumor is true. I know there's an earlier trip report with a close up photo taken by a party that hiked up there. I can vouch that it was not photoshopped, etc. I found it w/ my binocs from the summit but it is also visible with the naked eye from the trail if you know where to look. Had lunch and took a lot of photos on summit. Descended path back to main trail. Continued on around to north where there was slight amount of snow and frost, but no significant snow on trail. Crossed Kendall Katwalk which is not long and not tricky (when snow free). Fall colors really incredible up there. I got to Ridge and Gravel Lakes in another mile plus. Ridge Lake is really close to the trail but Gravel Lake is a short hike down. Nobody at either lake, nice and peaceful. I returned to the PCT and went as far as a rockfall with a view down to the right of Alaska Lake. This was my turn around point. On the hike back I saw more hikers. Probably saw about 15 to 20 total today. I'm sure weekends must be pretty packed up here. Saw 2 pikas on rocks a bit apart calling back and forth to each other. Got back to car just before 4 PM. Long hike, I put in about 16 miles or more, but well worth every step! Bugs almost non-existent. Great time of year to be up in the mts. Will be back in the future to explore more of this area.

Oh to be out in the fall on a sunny day! Decided to hike the Tolmie Peak Lookout trail with a side trip to Howard Peak. It was cold at the trailhead at Mowich Lake as I set out at about 9:45 AM. I set a good pace and soon warmed up. First part of hike is along Mowich Lake but quickly turns away from the lake at northern end. Trail was in good shape save a few wet and muddy spots and, higher up at Eunice Lake and above, some frost and ice. I noted some nice falls not far off the trail below Eunice Lake. Don't remember seeing them before on previous hikes and couldn't find a name on any maps or guidebooks. Some fall colors out at the lake and above on hillsides. Reached the lookout and looked for path to the north to Howard Peak. There is a faint path but basically you are going down a hillside and losing about 300 feet of elevation. Hillside faces north so is a bit icy but manageable with trekking poles. Just make sure to avoid drop offs to right. Path is more visible once you get down to the ridge leading to Howard Peak. The higher summit appeared to be the one to the right (east). The first summit is more wooded and lacks the views that the higher, eastern summit has. I reached it and noted a rock someone had placed on the top. Great views of Mt Rainier and surrounding smaller peaks like Castle Peak, Mother Mt as well as Eunice and Mowich Lakes. Farther off peaks obscured by clouds but Rainier perfect. Other peaks to the north (Florence, Arthur, etc.) are also reachable from trail that sets out from Carbon River Ranger Station at south end of Rain Forest Loop. I noted some clouds coming in from the west. I think I timed the hike about perfect. Got back to car by 12:45 PM. Only saw one other person going up as I was coming down. First time I had been at the lookout with no other people around! No wildflowers in bloom left save 2 bluebells. This is a great time of year to do this hike. I was reading other trip reports from earlier in the summer and sounds like the bugs were pretty bad. I also remember quite a few bugs on past hikes to the lake. Absolutely no bugs now! Just wait for a clear day in the fall and head on up. The views are awesome.

Brooklake hikers (7 total) set out early at 6:30 AM for long drive from FWay to Ingalls Lake trailhead at the end of the N fork Teanaway River Road. Left rain behind after going over Snoqualmie Pass but ended up being socked in fog upon arrival at the trailhead. We hit trail at about 10 AM. Our group went from 7 to 6 when one first-time hiker decided to head back to car after a mile or so. Had book and said he'd be fine. Passed trail junction and stayed right (left went to Fortune Creek Pass) to Lake Ingalls/Longs Pass. Sign at this point stated dogs prohibited although another group hiked merrily past with their bulldog. Oh those awful rules and regulations! And the people with umbrellas some were even attached to their backpacks. I took a couple of playful jabs but hey, to each his/her own (the worst part was I think I saw more guys than gals with umbrellas). Anyway, it was foggy and there was a really slight mist but not enough to really get you that wet. The trail switchbacked up and we passed the turnoff to Long's Pass. Shortly thereafter we came to Ingalls Pass at about 6500 feet. This is where we first came upon the Larch/Tamarack trees turned their fall golden color. The timing was about perfect as we saw very little green left. In some areas the trail was a bed of yellow needles. Fortunately, this is also where the clouds began to open up. We had a fairly nice view of Mt Stuart ahead. Some of the slopes below were filled w/ the larch trees. We had lunch there. The trail was muddy and had water across in this area and we had 2 people in our group slip, but no major injuries. The area was rocky and muddy (and slippery). 2 of us decided to go on to Lake Ingalls. There is a trail up through the rocks that is marked well w/ numerous rock cairns, one of which might be the most rocks in a cairn I've ever seen. Eventually, there is one very short rock scramble and then you're up to a saddle where the lake comes into view. We lucked out, some of the folks coming down told us that visibility had been about 5 feet when they had been at the lake. But we could see the whole lake and most of Mt Stuart behind. Ingalls Peak was up to the left. There was a fairly large group of folks at the lake. There are numerous large rock slabs to climb up on and explore new angles/views. I noticed 2 yellow larch trees at the far end of the lake, otherwise none up there. We returned and met up with one of our group members about a couple miles from the trailhead. Got back to the cars and the rest of our group by just before 5 PM. Four of us stopped at McKean's Drive-In in Cle Elum on way back. Try the McGuire burger, great after a long day of hiking!

Was in the area on this Thursday so with a bit of good weather left decided to head up to Glacier View. Road into trailhead was bumpy but otherwise no problems. Nice view of Mt Rainier from road a mile or so from trailhead. Clouds were moving in from the west though. One other vehicle at trailhead (van) but didn't see anybody during hike. Some bugs by trailhead but less once I got in a ways. No wildflowers to speak of left blooming but I did see the occasional bloomer left. Trail not muddy, in pretty good shape. Heard some pikas at rocky slopes but couldn't see any. Got to Glacier View summit and most of Mt Rainier was still out. Also could see most of Mt Adams to south. Real quiet up there, enjoyed lunch. Chopper went by and around Rainier to the north. Took trail back. Stopped to look at plant in forest and took photo. As I got up and turned, I was staring at a large black bear about 20 to 30 feet away. As soon as it saw me it hightailed it the other way, sound of broken sticks and branches fading in the distance. I only saw the bear for a few heart pounding seconds. Luckily most bears are as afraid of us as we are of them! This was not far from the trailhead (maybe 1/2 mile) just when I thought I would see no significant wildlife. Whaddaya know? Maybe I should make that purchase of bear mace just in case. Heard a lot of stories of bear/human encounters this year. A great hike, I have probably done this hike more than any other mt hike. Fall foliage in a few areas but not at peak yet.

I had read a few reports and checked several of the hiking/scrambling guides before setting out to attempt Castle Peak above Mowich Lake. I parked roadside a short distance from the main Mowich Lake parking lot and joined the Wonderland Trail (WT) toward Mowich Lake. I ended up going all the way to Ipsut Pass which is about a mile in. I was looking for an obvious climbers path heading east to Castle but was unable to find one. I retraced back to where the trail left Mowich Lake and started thru the forest. I went around the north end of Mowich Lake and then started up. I was able to follow a real faint path but it petered out and I decided to ascend a dry creek bed which was not the best choice. I was able to ultimately head up and around to the left of a rocky cliff and ascend steep scree and often loose rock and dirt. It was pretty treacherous up there. I would recommend sticking to the forest and heading up for the ridge. Once on the ridge there is a definite path that can be followed from one peak to the next. I went right and first summited the higher peak to the south. There is a nice open area at top with stunning views of Mt Rainier. I was also able to see Mt Stuart, Glacier Peak, and 3 Fingers in the distance from the ridge. I followed the path back to where the distinctive 2 pronged Castle Peak named peaks were. I only summited the southern of the 2 prongs which appeared to be slightly higher. After some summit photos I retraced back down to the saddle and back down thru the forest to the WT. I stayed away from the rocky creek bed I came up. I noticed when I was on the summit of the farther (higher) southern peak that there is a path that can be followed all the way to 1st Mother and Knapsack Pass. This is the way that I would recommend attempting Castle Peak as well. It might be a longer hike but less bushwhacking and cross country. A few wildflowers left but not many. Fall colors starting to come out. Only wildlife, Pika near the trailhead. Passed several groups going up to Tolmie Peak (I assume) on my way back down the trail.

Group of 5 Brooklake Hikers set out on this beautiful Saturday to hike the Naches Loop near Chinook Pass. The wooden bridge is still being repaired so we couldn't get the must-have group photo on the bridge. Started loop there and went counter-clockwise as most folks do. We had 2 first-time hikers and they seemed to love it. This was about my 5th or 6th time hiking this loop (3rd w/ Brooklake group). I'm used to there being tons of people up here but today was not that bad. We took our time and enjoyed this unique time of year when there are still some wildflowers in bloom (lupine, paintbrush, monkeyflower, mouse-on-a-stick, etc) as well as fall colors starting to come out. Fall colors were best on the south-facing part of the loop. This is also where the PCT comes up from Dewey Lakes. We did not go down to Dewey Lakes but did meet and talk with several PCT Thru-hikers. When I say thru-hikers I mean from Mexico to Canada. Very impressive. Many of them looked quite fresh for having done some 2400 miles or so to that point. They told us that there were about 200 people doing the whole trail this season. They started around the first of May and were hoping to be done mid October. It was a highlight of the hike talking to them. We continued down to Tipsoo Lakes and had lunch there. We didn't see any wildlife other than chipmunks and gray jays which really are quite tame here. I think Ian was impressed with how the gray jays will perch right on your hand or shoulder if offered a snack (which I, of course, don't recommend - it's against the rules). The best views of Mt Rainier are on the southern stretch were the mountain is right in front of you going clockwise. I highly recommend this hike, especially for newer hikers. If you can do it on a weekday, even better, although it appears less crowded now that fall has arrived.

No cars at parking lot designated for Margaret Lake/Mt. I parked at wide spot in road next to trailhead. As I was walking up the rocky jeep road (with 2 gate posts but no gate so it is drivable) I heard the noise of a vehicle coming down. I was able to find a spot in the narrow road to get out of the way of a large pickup truck barrelling down the road. There were a couple of bow hunters inside and I spoke to them briefly. I gave them a bit of a hard time but they had the weaponry so, oh well. They had been hunting up higher somewhere but were done. So be careful walking this road even though I think the intent is that it only be used for hiking. I reached the junction where the trail to Margaret Lake goes off to the left and is a narrow foot trail. I saw several noisy Stellar's Jays on the way up the trail. Weather was supposed to clear up but it was low fog and a few high clouds as well. I made good time to the junction to Margaret Lake and headed down. From near the saddle, there are some nice views of Mt Stuart to the east as well as other closer peaks. The trail switchbacks down and the first, smaller, Lake Yvonne is mostly off to the left but has flooded its banks(?)and is over the trail. The water is only about ankle deep and there are a couple of small logs to cross with. Bring poles, they come in handy. Also the trail is overgrown in a few spots so I got a little wet. Shortly after I reached Margaret Lake. Fall colors only slightly coming out. Began to drizzle, in spite of the decent forecast today, imagine that! So I headed back up to the saddle and out. Had hiked to Twin and Lillian Lakes last visit. They're a bit further than this hike. On the way down I met 3 ladies hiking up to Lillian. Also 2 guys that had just found a geocache off the trail. They told me that there was another cache at or near the top of Mt Margaret that they were pursuing. The rain stopped, I reached my rig, and thankfully the hunters had left it alone. All in all a good day, about 6 - 7 miles round trip.

I set out on the Knapsack Pass (unmaintained) trail from the ranger cabin at Mowich Lake. There were a few men working on repairs to the cabin. A ranger that was there on my return told me that they wanted to get some concrete poured before the weather turns later this week. On my previous visits there had been a sign just to the left of the cabin that stated "unmaintained trail" but I didn't see it on this trip. There was a large uprooted tree there that I'm assuming took out the sign. The first part of this trail is steep and muddy. It is in forest but later breaks out into the open. I took a spur trail, still in the forest, that headed up to Fay Peak. One can follow the path pretty much all of the way up. Mt Rainier had been out as low clouds to the west were cleared out up higher. But upon summitting Fay Peak I noticed some clouds had moved in obscuring most of "The Mountain". There were still great views of nearby peaks, Mowich Lake, Seattle Park, etc. I headed over the summit of Fay Peak and followed a path along the ridge which heads to the southeast towards a false summit of Fay (it appears to be almost as high as Fay Peak). My time was limited so I will leave Mt Pleasant and Hessong Rock, which are visible to the south, for another day. I could also see the trail coming down the other side of Knapsack Pass toward the Spray Park trail. The path continues past the false summit and begins descending. As I was descending, I saw a marmot. It followed just below me for awhile until it went down a snowfield and disappeared from view. It looked like it was plump and ready for colder weather! Another feature of this hike were wild blueberries and huckleberries near the Fay Peak summit and also along the Knapsack Pass trail. I feasted on this tasty bounty. I reconnected with the Knapsack Pass trail near the pass but did not go on up there. I went back down and ate more berries, marveled at the wildflowers and streams, and enjoyed what might be our last sunshine for awhile. I noted pink monkeyflowers in bloom along several of the streams along the trail. There were also asters, paintbrush, and mountain bog gentian still in bloom. This is a unique time of year where there are wildflowers still blooming in some areas, fall colors in others, and ripe berries! Enjoy.

Went for morning hike prior to Rainier Mt Festival in Ashford. Hiking partner was Woody and the destination would be The Castle. Set out on Pinnacle Saddle trail to partially clearing skies. Wispy clouds kept blowing through obscuring some views. We heard and saw pikas going through the rocky areas. While watching a pika come in and out of its hole I noticed a small black animal go by me on the trail. Realizing it wasn't somebody's dog I followed it and noted it to be a black fox. After later doing some research on the web, it apparently was a red fox that are sometimes black (or gray) in color. The tip of its tail was white. I followed it up the trail and it was lifting its leg and spraying along the side of the trail. I took several pictures and then caught up to Woody and another lady on the trail. The fox then went up another rocky slope. We attained the junction and had better and better views of Mt Rainier as we got higher. There are still quite a few wildflowers in bloom along the trail including lupine, paintbrush, valerian, mouse on a stick, asters, etc. We continued on to the east on the trail to Pinnacle and Castle Peaks. We spoke with a young couple that was going to summit Pinnacle. They had done it before so I didn't attempt to dispense too much advice. We continued on until we passed below the Castle and around to the east. A rough path leads up to the summit saddle. We saw the young couple on the summit of Pinnacle Peak and yelled over to them. The true high point would appear to be a pinnacle to the north of the saddle. We spent some time looking for a doable route up to the true high point. I eventually found a way and Woody followed. We both sat on the high point and posed for photos but there is not that much room and neither of us attempted to stand up on the summit. We found an easier way down. I would recommend the following route for those that would wish to attempt to reach the true summit. When you are at the saddle looking north at the spire that is the high point, go around to the left and you will be able to scramble up around to the ridge top. We noted a leash someone had left near the top around one of the spires. This route does not look like the most obvious choice but it was the best route that we could find. Some may not wish to attempt this without a rope. It was probably a class 3 scramble at least in spite of what some guidebooks may say. It was a great feeling up there and the views opened up more as the clouds passed through. We made it back down the way we came but Woody suffered a minor fall and broken trekking pole along one of the scree fields. I've never seen a trekking pole break before. We saw a marmot on the trail back. We made it back to the car and enjoyed a couple of cold ones we had stashed in the bushes near Reflection Lakes. Chatted with a group having lunch there that had hiked down from Paradise and was continuing on to Pinnacle Saddle. Drove back down to sunny Ashford and enjoyed the Mt Festival. Woody especially enjoyed the Bluegrass music! Great day!

This hike had been on my list for a cloudy/drizzly day for some time. Today's forecast fit that bill. TNT article this weekend also helped plant the idea.

Arrived at trailhead to increasing rains. As I began putting on raingear I wondered if this 12 mile roundtrip hike (or close to 15 to junction w/ PCT) in wet conditions was such a good idea. The rain subsided by the time I was ready and so I departed. Trail mostly in forest. Steady uphill until about 1 mile mark where short stretch switchbacks down. Shortly past that point a swamp/pond off trail to left. Trail began switchbacking up with Laughingwater Creek below to the right. Trail never real steep but it is long. Lots of horse droppings on trail, looked fresh enough to probably have been from this past Labor Day weekend. Seemed a long stretch before first lake reached. Cabin is between first and second lakes. I was rejuvenated not only to reach the lakes but also for a few rays of sunshine above. The rain had held off for the most part, only becoming steady about half way into the hike. There are some nice campsites above the lakes. The outhouse even had working hand sanitizer! I wandered about the area with the cabin and lakes for awhile. There is a register book at the cabin but I got sidetracked and forgot to sign it. I decided to hike on.

I hiked toward the PCT junction. The 3rd lake is reached just outside of the NP boundary. I noted 2 ducks in the pond, the scene was so serene. That was about the only wildlife other than squirrels/chipmunks and birds. The trail continues on past a couple more tarns/lakes and goes in and out of the park boundary a few more times. It also opens up and a few meadows with lots of blooming Lupine (and a few paintbrush). There had been only one meadow prior to the lakes/cabin. I finally reached the junction with the PCT where in nice weather views of Mt Rainier can be had. Everything was socked in today but it was not raining so I was content enough. I took a break there but did not see any PCT through hikers. I returned to the cabin and had lunch there on the porch. On my return trip I encountered a guy going up to camp at the lakes. I was a bit surprised, I didn't expect to see anyone on this trip. He told me that the rangers told him he probably wouldn't see anybody up here. I told him he had the campground all to himself and that it was nice. Got back just in time to beat steadier rains. A good hike, probably about 15 miles round trip. Trail was in good shape, lots of old blowdowns cut out. I only noted 4 blowdowns still on the trail (2 on the trail to the lakes and 2 on trail beyond) but they weren't hard to get over/around. Some muddy parts due to the rain, but not bad overall. Bugs not a problem.

I couldn't help but thinking earlier resting at the cabin, this would be a great place to stay at for a summer, just enjoying nature and maybe some good books. Leave civilization behind for awhile. Maybe I'm a bit crazy but I envy the rangers that get to spend time here.

Plan B after discovering that the Purcell Mountain Lookout trailhead was blocked 5 miles up, was to do the Blue Lake Hiker's Trail #274. This is not a trail that I would have gone out of my way to do but since I was in the vicinity I gave it a go. To get there go about 16 miles south of Randle on FR 23. Go left on gravel road at a sign for this hike and come to an immediate unmarked fork. Go left (right goes almost right into a gravel pit). Follow this narrow bumpy road (high clearance vehicle recommended) about 1.3 miles (guidebook says 3.3 miles) to the trailhead. First part of hike a little steep and some rock stairs to climb. On right you come to some cliffs just beyond Blue Lake Creek. There are some interesting columns of basalt on the cliffs that come right down to the creek. The trail continues almost the entire way in forest and at about 2 miles intersects with the ATV trail. Luckily, on a Wednesday, I saw nobody else all day and it was quiet. I would imagine on the weekends and holidays the ATV trails get more use. At 2 1/2 miles the lake is reached. The lake itself is nice but there are no significant vistas of anything far away. There is a nice sandy beach where I rested and had a snack. I followed the ATV trail down just a short stretch to get a feel for how dusty it is. There is a big intersection near the lake where other trails depart from. On the way down I almost stepped on a large frog that was right in the trail (glad I noticed it). There is water available pretty much the entire hike. Returned to my car and decided I had enough time left to explore. Headed down to Takhlakh Lake which is another 15 miles south on 23. Road 23 on this stretch is about half paved and half gravel/dirt. The turnoff to the lake is at about 13 miles and another 2 miles of paved road takes you to the lake. I hiked the Takhlakh Lake Loop and also the meadow loop. They are both short hikes of around a mile+. The lake is beautiful and I see why Evening Magazine has voted this one of the top mountain vistas in the state in the past. It was not peaceful, however, as several kids (and adults) from the campground were playing and canoeing in the lake and making lots of noise. But they looked like they were having fun so who am I to complain? The meadow loop is not all that interesting other than the basalt lava flows that the trail goes past. There is also a sign explaining their significance and history. There were not, however, views of Mt Adams like you have at the lake or (as a sign at the trailhead states) views of Goat Rocks region. I did go a little ways up the lava flows and didn't see much in the way of mt vistas (perhaps further up?). Anyway, this is a good place to add if you're already down this way. I also noted a sign for some caves along FS 23 (north of Blue Lake turnoffs) but I did not explore there. Bugs were not bad on any of the hikes.

Just a note:

Purcell Lookout trailhead from Road 63 is blocked with a locked gate just off of Davis Creek Road adding 10 miles roundtrip to the hike in the guidebook. I did not attempt.

I made it to the trailhead after making one wrong turn. The parking lot for the Margaret Lake, Twin Lakes, Lake Lillian hike is about 100 yards below the trailhead with a sign indicating where the trail is. There is also room to park roadside at the trailhead which I took advantage of. The trail itself starts out on an old jeep trail and the gate is only 2 posts. So it would be drivable but the signs warn hikers only. Not that I would do that anyway, but just psychologically knowing you could drive the first 1/2 mile or so is tough. The real trail starts to the left and is well marked with rocks. This hike starts fairly open then goes into woods. A few switchbacks up into the forest. At about 2 1/2 miles is a junction for the Margaret Lake trail to the right. Left goes on to Twin Lakes and Lake Lillian. Just past the Margaret Lake also on the right is a boot path to a lookout where you can see Lake Yvonne and Margaret Lake below. Also visible is Mount Margaret back to the left. The trail goes along the shoulder of Mt Margaret and I'm reasonably sure I found the boot path to Mt Margaret summit on the right (although I would leave this for another time). I continued on to a nice view of the Rampart Ridge above Twin Lakes. This is also about where the trail enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area although I found no sign. The trail then loses about 500 vertical feet to Twin Lakes. The bugs were not too bad as mentioned in Alpine Joe's trip report from yesterday. I continued on to Lake Lillian which is several down and ups in about a mile or so. Lake Lillian is larger and prettier than the Twin Lakes. I noticed a nice campsite before both lakes. There was a couple with a dog at Lake Lillian, the first people I saw today. I found a nice lunch spot at the lake a bit to the right of them. Bugs not bad. I could see a path on the other side of the lake that appeared to go up over the ridge. I did not explore over there. Coming back I saw 9 more people and 2 more dogs. I spoke with 3 retired aged guys that I saw at Twin Lakes. They wondered if I knew approximately where the access path to Mt Margaret was. I told them I thought I had found it and approximately where it was. They were continuing on to Lake Lillian but indicated to me that they wanted to go up to the summit of Mt Margaret on the way back. When I reached the spot I made a cairn with some rocks and drew an arrow. Hopefully they made it up there ok. The summit is only supposed to be 300 - 400 vertical feet above the trail. 2 of the groups I passed were going to camp at Margaret Lake. I'm sure this area gets really crowded on the weekends (today was Friday). Hike up took a little over 2 hours and hike down a little under 2 hours. Not many wildflowers until the lakes, there are still some in bloom there. And found just a handful of blueberries. More to come soon. Trail in good shape. Will come back to go to Margaret Lake and Margaret Mt summit next week. Good family hike. Sorry no pix - camera problems. Alpine Joe's pix are good ones. Thanks Alpine Joe for the inspiration to go up there and do this one!

Arrived at Alpental parking lot at around 9:30 AM. Spoke to guy in parking lot asking me if he was in the right parking lot for Snow Lake trail. I assured him he was. He informed me that he was meeting his sister and had just recently gotten into hiking. Told me that he found that he enjoyed it up in the mountains more than hanging out in the city. He was preaching to the choir.

Anyway, hit the Snoqualmie Mt road/trailhead by about 9:40. Short stretch on dirt road before trail begins on right (just before road goes sharp left). There were no ribbons or cairns but pretty easy to see. Thanks to John and FoxTerrierGuy for those last 2 trip reports - they were helpful. Trail is steep uphill almost all of the way. I've heard this one compared to Mailbox Peak and I think it might even be steeper. Weather forecast was for another of those 90+ degree days in the lowlands. I was fortunate to get an early start and for the first half or more being in forest or shade of cliffs. After the first mile or so, the marked junction to Guye Peak is reached. The sign also indicated a trail to the left that I noted but couldn't quite read that part of the sign. I'm guessing it may have been a trail that hooked up with Snow Lake trail. Mt Rainier began peaking out from the lower mts the higher I went up. There were numerous switchbacks in the forest. Later the trail headed due north. There were a few short stretches with water running down the trail. I also saw a pika in one of the rockfields. Up up up the "trail" continued. Eventually what I assumed to be the summit ridge came into view. There are craggy peaks to the right that I hoped weren't the Snoqualmie summit (they weren't) I kept ascending the final ridge. The trail comes up to a false summit that is only slightly lower than the true summit to the north. On the way down I realized that the real trail actually skirted the false summit saving a little up and down. The views at the summit were amazing. Mts. Baker, Glacier Peak, Stuart, Rainier, and the lesser area mts. Also visible to the north are Snow Lake and Gem Lake and to the south Keechelus Lake. Spent some time enjoying lunch on the summit. Bugs not too bad. Was hoping it would be windier though. Left summit by about 12:20 PM. Going down was tough on the joints and due to the steepness of the trail you really can't relax for a second. Only people I saw the whole hike were young couple not too far below the summit on my way down. This trail is NOT, as Tom Cruise once said, "a walk in the park Kazansky". It's tough. I was glad when I again saw Alpental parking lot getting closer. Spent about 2 hrs 20 min up, and about 1 1/2 hrs down. Views were worth the effort. BK burgers and a shake never tasted so good.

Brooklake hikers (6 of us) gathered at Sunrise on perfectly clear beautiful day for hike to Burroughs Mt. Hit trailhead just before 10 AM. Took trail north to Sourdough trail and from there to Frozen Lake. Quite a few folks already on the trails. I didn't realize that this was a fee-free weekend. Trail clear to Frozen Lake. At big intersection continued on Burroughs Mt trail. There are still 3 snowfields to be crossed on the way to 1st Burroughs. The first is the steepest. The snowfield is well trodden but best to have either hiking poles or an ice axe for safety. We arrived at 1st Burroughs to windy conditions and searching for goats that other hikers had told us they saw in area. We found a herd of at least a couple dozen mt goats on flat summit of 1st Burroughs not far off of the trail. After stopping for a little while continued on to 2nd Burroughs. We took a lunch break there. Large jowled chipmunks kept coming around. I couldn't resist and gave them a couple cashews. They're storing up for winter, right? Two of our group of six decided to head back (they had driven a separate car) and the rest of us headed to 3rd Burroughs. There is still a pretty good trail that heads all the way to 3rd Burroughs summit, although many guidebooks and maps only show the trail to 2nd Burroughs. This trail goes down and back up again and crosses another (easy) snowfield. The view from 3rd Burroughs is even closer up to Mt Rainier and the Winthrop glacier. A top-of-the-world type feeling. We stayed for awhile as the temps were mild and bugs were not a problem due to the winds. On return to 2nd Burroughs saw a marmot lounging on rocks. We took the trail to Shadow Lake and back to Sunrise to complete loop. This was the Brooklake hiking group's second straight trip to Sunrise. Just an amazing area on a clear day. Lots of trails branch out, most not overly strenuous. Wildflowers of the low-to-the-ground tundra varieties. From the Burroughs summits were able to see Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt Stuart, Mt Daniel, Olympics, and even skyscrapers of Seattle. And of course a right-in-front-of-you view of the northeast side of Mt Rainier. Mt Adams was visible earlier in the hike but disappears at summit of 3rd Burroughs. Many of the smaller peaks in the NP are visible from this area also. Definitely a must do. My second trip to Burroughs and not my last.

Set out on the Owyhigh Lakes trail at about 10 AM. Mine was the only car at the trailhead. The trail is mostly through forest and is wide and nice (no blowdowns). The first part heads due east toward an overlook of Shay Creek. I could hear water in the large basin but couldn't see any. The trail switchbacks up from there but is never that steep. The last part heads south to the lakes. It doesn't open up until you are almost at the lakes. There are nice meadows that are still very much in bloom. Most plentiful were paintbrush, valerian, columbine, lupine, mouse on a stick. Near the lakes was a hillside of my personal favorite the magenta paintbrush. The bugs and flies did get thicker at the meadows. The lakes are off trail and I did not go down to them. There are also great views of the Governors Ridge and Needles as well as Barrier Peak beyond the lakes. Earlier reports by viggo and Trail Pair from a few years ago were helpful in finding the climbers path to Tamanos Mountain. The path is on the right (as both of those reports noted) 0.3 miles past the last Owyhigh lake. Look for it as you leave the forest and another cleared area with nice views appears. The path is not marked but it takes off from a cleared sandy area. The path briefly gets faint but you can find it again further up the meadow. It is pretty easy to follow until the upper meadow where I lost it. But above is a saddle, just head up to it. The first views of the Sarvant Glaciers coming off of the Cowlitz Chimneys is from the saddle as well as up close view of Mt Rainier. The path is easily found on the ridge and continue up until the final rocky summit area is reached. Some minor scrambling might be necessary (but I may have lost the path again). The true summit appeared to be the one furthest north. The views were awesome from the summit. Mt's Rainier, Adams, Stuart, Glacier Peak, Goat Rocks, etc etc. The day was pretty much perfectly clear, no clouds or wildfire haze. I decided to try to descend from another path I had read about that came out at Tamanos Creek (I had noticed it hiking in). I followed what I looked like a path from the summit a ways. However, it faded out and I came to a boulder field. I decided to scramble down instead of backtrack. It was a bit of a pain but I came down into a snowy bowl. A little glassading and I came around to a couple of small lakes/tarns not shown on the maps I had. I circled the larger lake. Lots of little frogs there. On the other side I found a faint path that took me down into another chute. Down that and through a small section of forest and I rejoined the main trail at Tamanos Creek campsite. A short walk and I came again to the creek and the other path. I'll have to research this more in the future. From there I hiked out. I really want to come back here and try Barrier Peak, Governor's Ridge etc. The trail to Owyhigh Lakes in is not hard and it accesses some nice peaks and meadows. Interestingly, there were 3 other cars at the trailhead when I returned yet I saw nobody hiking out. Obviously I had missed folks by reconnecting with the trail further down.

Long drive from Tacoma area, took me almost 2 1/2 hours to reach trailhead. Got early start (which I recommend) and hit trail at about 8 AM. Early creek crossing not hard with poles. Trail goes a short distance relatively straight and then begins switchbacking up steep hill. First couple of miles is mostly in forest and shade. Was actually on the cold side early on. Saw a large frog along trail, no pond or marsh nearby, he was hopping slowly along. Openings in forest and some wildflowers. View of the tip of Mt Rainier that continued getting bigger as I proceeded up. Eventually some large openings with views around. Wildflowers were also most prevalent in these meadows. The final slopes to Mt Aix were rocky and drier and contained fewer wildflowers. A marked trail junction with the Nelson Ridge trail is reached at around the 5 mile mark. Aix trail goes to right. Eventually the trail rounds a mountain and heads toward Mt Aix, which is now visible ahead. The trail descends a bit here before resuming climbing. The trail goes well past the summit of Aix and rounds the shoulder before climbing back up to summit. There is a spur path that goes left (and the main trail continues straight) that is marked with a rock cairn. The stretch from the Nelson Ridge junction to the summit is supposed to be around 1 mile but seems much longer. There is a lot of loose rock and shale so you need to watch your steps carefully through there. The path is easy to follow for the most part but you can lose it in places. There is a large rocky knob near the summit. There is a snowfield below. The trail goes down below. Not realizing this I attempted to go left around the rocky knob. I ended up doing some minor rock scrambling to get around it. Don't go that way. You can either cross the snowfield (which is not exposed) or go around it. I was just too lazy to go all the way back down and around. I soon obtained the main path again and obtained the summit by about 11:30. I noted a unique opening in the rock just below the summit that served as nature's window. I noted remnants of the old lookout on the summit. There is a cannister with a crude register in it. Lots of loose slips of paper in there. I signed it and enjoyed lunch on the summit all to myself. Some clouds had moved in from the south since I started the hike obscuring the view of Mt Adams and a few other areas. But for the most part the views were 360 degrees. I felt good going up but the hike down actually seemed harder. I see people write that in reports all the time and I'm usually skeptical but on this one I can relate. I was pretty beat by the time I returned to my car. The hike seemed more long than it did overly difficult/steep. The hike was not nearly as hot and dry as I expected though. Bugs not all that bad. Main wildflowers were Lupine, Paintbrush (several colors), Columbine, Asters, Stonecrop, etc. Time up was about 3 hrs 20 min and down was 2 hrs 45 min. Trail was in great shape with all blowdowns cut out. Recommend this for hikers that enjoy a strenuous workout!

Long gravel road of about 22-24 miles from North Bend to trailhead. Thanks to Mark & Phil's write-up of 7/11/2010, their directions were excellent. My odometer read slightly less but if you stick with the main road you'll get there. Here are their directions again with 1 or 2 small additions:

Allow 1 to 1.5 hours from North Bend.
Take I-90 Exit 31, North Bend.
Left at roundabout.
About 1/2 mile, right on North Bend Way.
2 blocks, left on Ballarat Ave NE.
Reset your trip odometer to zero here.
Ballarat jogs right at 102nd, then at one mile, left on 428th, which is also the North Fork Snoqualmie Road.
At about 4 miles, cross 440th. The next road angles uphill off to the left. It's not marked except for two signs, "Dead End" and "For 24 miles." Take this left fork, this is the continuation of the North Fork Snoqualmie Road, the right fork is Ernie's Grove Road, a more immediate dead end.
At about 15 miles, cross a wooden bridge, a concrete bridge at 16, and a new red steel bridge at 18.4 miles.
About 3 miles after the red steel bridge, turn left at a junction. If you keep going straight the road is blocked with a big earth berm. Within 0.1 mile, cross a bridge, then take the next right onto FS road 57.
Trailhead is another 3 miles on the left, total 24 miles or so.
No outhouse at the trailhead.

I have read other reports about how bad this road is. It is long. However, I didn't find it THAT bad. I've certainly driven on worse. It looked like some of the sections had gravel added fairly recently. Also the concrete bridge was redone in 2008 and the red steel bridge in 2010. Nice job. My SUV did fine, but I'm sure a passenger car would too.

The trail starts out in forest for the first mile+. Several stream crossings. Most of forested part of hike is on rocks and boulders. Trail crosses creek on old wooden bridge and enters Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Soon after, trail starts to break out into meadows that are covered in bracken ferns, often over 10' tall. They're a bit of a pain. After a mile or so the trail begins the long relentless climb to the north over what the guidebook stated are 46 switchbacks (I don't dispute that although I didn't count them). The ferns become smaller and the trail easier to negotiate as one goes up, although mostly open to the sun. The switchbacks are often short, mostly between 2 boulder fields. Wildflowers in bloom include, Columbine (lower part of trail), and up higher Rosy Spirea and Tigerlillies most prevalent. Others also. Noted piece of old lookout visible from a ways below the summit. Also first views of Paradise Lakes and Bench Lake from viewpoint near top. Summit block has 360 degree views. All nearby Cascade peaks in view. However, unfortunately, due to haze from recent wildfires, only hazy view of Glacier Peak and no other Cascade volcanoes visible. Saw nobody on way up (even though 2 other vehicles at trailhead) and had lunch at summit all to myself. Saw young couple on way down. Guy asked me how much further to the lakes. I asked him if he knew where this trail went to. His female companion assured me that they knew this trail didn't go to Paradise Lakes. I hope they made out ok. Oh to be young (and foolish) and fancy free again! Only saw lizard in way of wildlife (not counting numerous birds). Some bugs but mostly flies, not many mosquitoes. Water across trail for one short section, no snow. Trip up took 2 1/4 hours, trip down 2 hours. This was one good workout. I would recommend waiting until haze disappears to go up there. Views on a completely clear day would be the cherry bomb.

Had a bit of trouble finding the trailhead, guidebook's directions weren't totally accurate (see John's trip report from earlier this month). Another hiker was attempting to find the trailhead at the same time. We finally discovered it to be more like 4 miles from Highway 410 on a dirt road to left (7190). Trailhead was just a short drive up the road. I managed to park at the trailhead but it was tight. Trail starts out for first 2 miles mostly in forest. Not too far in I heard the sound of a chopper down in the valley. Looked like it was hauling logs somewhere. That noise would be with me most of the rest of the day. Top of Mt Rainier visible at about 2 3/4 mile mark and trail also opened up more. Some wildflowers in forest but a lot in the open meadows. Peak will be soon. Noted Lupine, Tigerlillies, Paintbrush, Phlox, Heather, Glacier/Avalanche Lillies, Arnica, Spreading Stonecrop, etc etc. Other hiker caught up with me at junction to Goat Lake which is only signed Goat Lake (no trail reference). Dan leads OSAT groups. We hiked together to the summit which was about anther mile+. There are numerous spur trails, some of which may be a shortcut to the Norse Peak summit but best to just stick to the main trail which is easy to follow. All blowdowns cut (since write-up of PageLane on 7/19/2010) and trail, other than being dusty, is nice. Lots of evidence of horses although I didn't see any. Views from summit - nice view of Mt Rainier, Crystal Mt area, Adams, Stuart, hazier view of Glacier & Olympics. After spending about 1/2 hour on summit, Dan and I parted ways. I wanted to try to go the Goat Lake Basin route back. I didn't exactly find the trails and route described in the guidebook. What I did was follow a horse trail along the ridge that ultimately hooked up with Trail 1161 (although it wasn't marked as such). This led me down into the basin. Crossing some shale I heard minor rockfall above. I looked up and saw a lone mt goat. I continued walking and then noted a family of about 6 with at least a couple young ones. This was on the cliffs opposite (to south of) Goat Lake. A little uphill and I came upon some hitching posts. Trail continued on over ridge and then re-connected with Trail 1191. Copter still working in valley. Great hike w/ about 11 to 12 miles covered. Bugs not bad. No snow on trail. Great day for weather as it only got up into the 70's. I'd recommend it.

This isn't a mountain hike, it is a suburban trail. I don't usually do a write-up of something like this but this seemed to warrant at least an FYI. Didn't have time for the mts today but decided to try out one of the local suburban trails listed in the TNT hiking site

http://wwwb.thenewstribune.com/hikes/

For those of you in the south sound you might want to check this out. Hike is thru the Northwest Landing development area of Dupont, right off I5 near Fort Lewis. The directions to the trailhead and for the hike itself in the website are good. The only thing is there is no parking at the trailhead they list. You either have to park at the large State Farm parking lot or in apts just beyond. The trail starts out gravel and then is mostly paved but alternates to gravel again. It goes thru forest, open areas, marsh, and the original location of Fort Nisqually. There are 2 informational signs on a bridge there that give info on the years the Fort was there (it was later moved to Point Defiance). I later saw a deer crossing the trail. One good Mt Rainier view at old Fort Nisqually site. Round trip about 4 miles. Pretty much flat but good exercise.

5 of us in the Brooklake Hiking Group set out on this glorious day for Sunrise. Our plan, to hike to Dege Peak, part of the Sourdough Ridge trail, and then return on ridge and continue on to the Mount Fremont Lookout. We hit the trail at about 9:15 AM. The parking lot was not that full yet and we only saw one hiker on the way up. The weather was clear and the surrounding views were awe inspiring. There are only 2 or 3 small patches of snow remaining on the trail. There are a few larger snowbanks off-trail. We reached the summit in a little over an hour. We had the summit all to ourselves and tried out our various tripods, self-timers, etc to get some good group shots. If there were an index based upon exertion over panoramic views, this one just might beat about all. The views are 360 degrees and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Most major peaks in the Cascades from Mt Adams to Mt Baker visible. Also Olympics to the far west. We could also see the Fremont Lookout, our next destination. Some bugs on summit but not too bad. We stayed for 20 minutes or so. As we left more people arrived. We stopped to have a snowball throwing contest a short ways below the summit. Pete proved to have the most accurate arm. We continued on back along the ridge. The views of Mt Rainier are all in front of you as you head west on the Sourdough trail. 4 of us continued on to Frozen Lake. Lake partially melted out. A couple of larger snow crossings near lake but easy to cross. At the major intersection, we headed toward Fremont. We could see a lot of people on the Burroughs trail. The steep grade still has a large snowfield. People should take an ice axe or (at least) trekking poles and good sturdy hiking boots if this one is to be attempted. We arrived at the lookout around 12:30 to 1 PM. No other snow to speak of on trail. Had a nice lunch and basked in the sun. A lot of people at the lookout area. Not a hike if you're looking for solitude. The lookout was locked, but you can walk around the deck. We returned to the parking lot, which was now pretty full. Round trip total of a little over 8 miles. One other note, the Visitor Center at Sunrise is being gutted and remodeled and is closed all summer. The restaurant is still open. Great hike and great companionship on a great day!

Had hiked up to Kamikaze Falls a couple of months ago (May 21) and had wanted to go up to summit of Mt Teneriffe. Today would be the day. I had planned to hike Teneriffe a few times and ended up going to Plan B's or C's a few times due to weather. Only one other vehicle at trailhead. Today started out once again cloudy, but the weather report was better. I hiked via the Kamikaze Falls trail again. The first section (less than a mile) is on a logging road and the trail to the right to Kamikaze Falls is still partially blocked with orange flexible fencing. The sign from DNR and Mts to Sound Greenway is still posted at the main trailhead and at the Kamikaze Falls trailhead. Only half the fencing remained, the other half was piled on the ground. Obviously this trail is heavily used despite not offically being open yet. Still not sure why not. Trail to falls is in good shape. I did not linger at the falls as I just saw it and was trying to make good time to Teneriffe summit. Trail not as defined past the falls but still relatively easy to follow. But is gets much steeper. Very few level spots. I managed to keep a steady pace as I trudged along. I got encouraged as I noted the clouds starting to burn off and/or I was just getting above them. Most of this route is in the woods but a few openings to scenery on way up, including nice view of Mt Rainier. As I neared the summit noted a few wildflowers in bloom including phlox, paintbrush (minimal), mountain heather, and a vast array of Davidson's Penstemon along the rocky areas of the summit block. Made summit in about 2 1/4 hours. I'm impressed by an earlier report on this site of some guys that made it in 2 hours and that was encountering some ice and snow on trail. Those guys are studs. Nice lunch on summit which I had all to myself. Nice views to south and east but clouded in to north and west. Got a few photos before my camera battery died. Went down trail that leads to road, which is the route that most guidebooks list. But it is much longer about 7 miles instead of the 3-4 miles of the Kamikaze route. There is a small cabin along the upper part of the road. Might be for loggers. Noted a lot of cut logs up high. Down a bit lower, quite a view of the Mt Si haystack from the road. Finally encountered first person coming up the road. He was shooting for Teneriffe summit but didn't know it's name. Was already about 2 PM but should be plenty of light this time of year. Saw another young guy sprinting up the trail toward the end. He came back down soon later and I struck up a conversation. Turns out he was visiting from Germany. Wir haben ein bissien Duetsch gesprochen. Sorry that is probably a bit butchered. Nice young fellow. He had relatives here in the States, and I met the rest of the extended family at the trailhead. What a workout! The Teneriffe Traverse may not be for everybody but I enjoyed it.

Had talked w/ my old college buddy Adrian about hiking since he moved back into area (Snohomish) so today we hit a trail in his neck of the woods. At Lake Serene trailhead only 5 cars upon arrival. Hit trailhead by 9AM. Hike starts out on abandoned road but quickly turns into trail. It seemed like we made it to the side trail to Bridal Veil Falls in no time. It is about 1/2 a mile spur trail to the falls and well worth it. We got close enough to get fairly wet from the spray. Felt great. "AD" went live with video that he sent to Facebook and other websites. Quite impressive; I'm just happy to be able to take pictures and do a write-up and post them here! We continued on and lumbered up the (seemingly) endless switchbacks. It was nice that most of the hike is in the shade of forest as it turned out to be another hot day. As you near the home stretch there are some views of nearby mts, including snow-capped Monte Cristo peaks. When we arrived at the lake there were a few other people there, but not too crowded. We soaked our feet in the lake and the water was not that cold - felt great. More video for Adrian. I think he has a lot of new friend requests. Sheer walls of Mt Index at far end of lake. Many waterfalls noted and snow higher up. Pesky chipmunk must've been starving, wouldn't leave us alone. Maybe he'll become a star on AD's Facebook page or other websites. We passed a lot more people on our way back down. Adrian did great on his first hike since living in Arizona. I do think he got a little down though when an 8 year old girl (with her sister & dad) went skipping merrily by us on the trail! Nothing like an icy Mich Ultra and salty chips back at the car to cap the trip.

I had again wanted to do Mt Tenneriffe, but on a clear day preferably. Since Thursday was another overcast day I opted for plan B, Granite Lakes. Only one other vehicle, a van, at trailhead, which is about 0.2 miles past the Mailbox Peak parking area (there were no vehicles there). The trail is actually a gravel/dirt jeep road which is gated just off of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Road. The trail/road is mostly in forest for the first 2 miles or so. After heading east the first couple of miles the trail turns south. The landscape also opens up some. Visible to the right are Mailbox Peak and Dirty Harry's Peak (among others). There are also side trails that go at least partially up to some of those peaks. I came upon the other hikers on the trail, 4 retired aged men. One of the guys apparently knew "Dirty" Harry at one time. The guys said that Harry passed away only within the last year or so. Anyway, it was nice talking with those gentlemen and I headed on. Although the weather was overcast all of the nearby peaks were visible. No rain on the way up. At about 4 1/2 miles the most prominent Y in the trail/road is reached. There is a fairly new looking sign there showing Granite Lakes to the right and Thompson Lake to the left. I forgot my green trails map (I only had a guidebook route description) but would later check it when I got home and noted that it is only about 1.1 miles further to Thompson Lake. I will have to make this trip again and visit Thompson Lake, which I understand is more scenic. This route would be a shorter way to Thompson Lake (but less scenic) than from the Mason Lake/Mt Defiance trail. Shortly after the Y are the remains of a couple of old picnic tables. The road gets rougher (but is still a road) and crosses a couple of minor streams and descends and then ascends to a road-end cauldesac. The path to the Upper Granite Lake is marked with a rag on a tree at the far end of the cauldesac. The path is easy to follow although it is quite overgrown in a few spots. Also, the outlet stream from the upper lake is crossed but is not difficult to get past, especially with hiking poles. Shortly, the Upper Lake was reached. I took lunch there and had it all to myself (I did not see the 4 men again, they must have went on to Thompson Lake). Mt Defiance is prominent across the lake. I also noted a peak to the left that had a structure on top. It must be Granite Mt, although I didn't think I'd be able to see it from here. I don't know of any other still standing fire lookouts in this general area. Let me know if anyone knows otherwise. I had planned to try and circle the lake but it would be rough. I never did see the Lower Lake, but I didn't search that hard for it either. The outlet stream was the one place that had prevalent wildflowers. I noted columbine, beargrass, blue bells, lupine, mountain heather, phlox, salmonberry, etc all in bloom. The majority of the hike up had been sparse for blooming flowers until the area of the lakes. I returned to just below the Y and, from a distance, saw a guy with a bike helmet on, but he disappeared (on the Thompson Lake trail) by the time I got to the Y. This would be a good trail/road for mt bike travel. The rain pretty much held off until I was almost back at the car. Given the forecast, it turned out to be a great day for this hike. I would recommend this hike to families with children old enough to be able to handle 11 to 12 miles round trip. It is long, with an elevation gain of about 2300 feet. But the gain is mostly gradual, it never gets that steep.

I just couldn't get enough of the Dirty Harry's logging road so I went back to attempt to find the Museum and also go for the summit of Dirty Harry's Peak (see my report of balcony trip on April 30th).

I again parked near the trailhead which is marked by a couple of old concrete ecology blocks. The weather was ok, slight mist. I got to the turnoff for the balcony in good time and continued on toward the museum creek. I stopped at the creek and took a look upstream and began bushwacking and rock hopping. I could not see any remnants of Dirty Harry's Museum and the rocks were beginning to get slick so I came back out. I continued on up the trail/road. There was no snow until pretty close to the top. Then it was still 2-3 feet deep, but I made do just fine with hiking poles. As you read this now, the snow is probably close to gone. Views were socked in, and looking at the amount of trees around, on a clear day I would imagine the view is about 90 degrees at best. I descended and reached Mueseum Creek again. I still had some time so I decided to further search for the "museum". I recrossed the main part of the creek which is raging this time of year. I followed a smaller spur off the main creek which entailed some bushwhacking. I found what appeared to have been a really old road and followed it. I also noted pink ribbons on trees every so often. The road eventually turned back up to the left. It got really blocked with large boulders and trees. I was just about to turn around believing nobody could have gotten a truck and other equipment up here when I saw something thru the trees ahead. I walked and bushwhacked and stream crossed a little further and sure enough, Dirty Harry's Museum! How he ever got this stuff up here is amazing. I feel crazy for going so far to find it, but it was a small feeling of accomplishment. I can see why many people don't find it. The write-up on this site from 8/24/09 (by Robwestseattle) is a good one. I did not attempt to keep going as supposedly you would meet back up with the main trail/road. I didn't want to get lost so I just backtracked. I did notice one yellow ribbon near the museum (per Robwestseattle's write-up) but most of the ribbons were pink. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this museum trek unless one's prepared for some off-trail bushwhacking. Also, there was a lot of water on the main trail in many spots.

Had not hiked from the school bus turnaround on Mt Si Road before (Kamikaze Falls or Mt Teneriffe)but had long wanted to check the area out. As I arrived at the trailhead, I noted the sign explaining that the Kamikaze Falls trail was being rebuilt (by DNR & Mts To Sound Greenway) to replace the (long used) "user built" trail. This had occurred, or was occurring since 2009. I also talked to 2 ladies that were just finishing their hike and I asked them about the Kamikaze Falls Trail. They informed me that it was still "closed" but that there were still nice views up higher on the old road that serves as the trail to Mt Teneriffe.

I hiked about a mile on the road and came to a side trail that again had the same informational sign and also a small sign indicating trail corridor closed on orange mesh fencing. Curiosity got the best of me and I figured I would check it out. A little civil disobedience isn't that bad, right? Anyway, I found the rebuilt trail to be in excellent shape all the way to the falls. I talked to a couple at the falls and we took each other's pictures. The couple indicated to me that the old trail is also closed and the idea is the new one will replace it. The old trail was steeper and more treacherous. So, apparently there is no legal trail up to the falls at present. The falls are spectacular and well worth the trip. The couple went back down and I continued on up a ways past the falls. The trail quickly becomes really steep and not as well maintained. I went as far as a rocky outcrop with a lookout but it was too cloudy to see much. I assume this trail/path continues all the way up to the Mt Teneriffe summit. I would imagine there's still a fair amount of snow up there. I returned the same new trail and passed 3 more hikers (breaking the rules as I had). Hopefully this trail will officially open soon. The DNR and Mts To Sound Greenway should be commended for doing a fine job on the trail. I also lead group hikes but will not bring the group up here until it's officially open. Round trip to the falls about 5 miles, although I may have put in another mile or so.