Decided to take a ride on the famously bad North Fork Snoqualmie River road in order to hike up Bare Mountain on this very warm, sunny day. What Dude said to Dudette before the hike: ""It's basically a Mt. Si-type trail. Eight miles, roughly 3200 feet of elevation gain. No big deal."" What Dude said to Dudette after the hike: ""Even though the distance and elevation are nearly identical to Mt. Si, Bare Mountain always seems so much tougher, and I always feel so much more tired!"" Well said. Dude had done this hike before and warned Dudette of the large 'potholes' in the trail. Dudette psyched herself up for hours of craning her neck downward, looking for holes to avoid. The trail started out nicely under forest cover, climbing up an old, rocky miner's trail. Had nice peek-a-boo views of some roaring Bear Creek waterfalls, off to the right. You really have to like a trail that still has roaring waterfalls in mid-August. Came to the crossing of Bear Creek, where a big log from the old, blown-out bridge still serves as a conduit for hikers from one side of the creek to the other. It was this lovely spot, Dude mentioned, that would be the perfect place for a refreshing after-hike dip. Dudette raised her eyebrows and continued on, not enamored with the idea of changing out of sweaty hiking clothes into a swimsuit, then getting back into the sweaty hiking clothes to finish the trip back to the trailhead, but not saying so to Dude. Dude read all this anyway in the raised eyebrows. Shortly after the creek crossing, the entrance into the land of the famed giant brackens was made, and the search for giant potholes began. The brackens were indeed tall (up to Dude's neck and over Dudette's head), and there were indeed several gaping holes along the trail. But, Dude said, the brackens weren't nearly as tall, nor the trail as hole-y as when he had last been here, four years ago. True enough, the ferns were generally pushed out of the way easily enough with one's hands or trekking poles, and the holes were all easily stepped over. As mentioned in ""100 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes,"" the trail does start switchbacking up the hill at the turnoff to the faint miner's trail. Really, though, it's just a good, steady, insistent climb - it doesn't let up much, but it's not too steep in any one place. Dudette's anal-retentive side kicked in, though, and she insists there are 56 (not 46) switchbacks from the miner's trail turnoff to the summit. Not that she counted or anything. The last two miles up to the summit are largely exposed, so sunscreen and plenty of water are recommended for sunny days. The bugs were plentiful, so bug juice at this time of year wouldn't hurt, either. The wildflower season was winding down, but there were still a few varieties to be seen: lupine, columbine, Columbia (tiger) lily, Gray's lovage, mountain daisy, and heather. Also had great views of Rainier, Baker and Glacier, among many others. The Olympics could be seen as well, though only faintly through the haze of Puget Sound. As the midday sun beat down on the descent, the pool at Bear Creek was sounding better and better to Dudette, despite the whole sweaty-clothes issue. By the time the creek was reached, she gladly donned the swimsuit and waded into the cold, cold stream. By that time of the day, the pool and rock slab above it were in full afternoon sunlight. Have you ever gotten out of really cold water onto a really warm rock slab after a good hike? There's nothing else quite like it. Dude and Dudette agreed on this while sitting on said rock slab, as the feeling of needles stabbing their feet died away and the blood rushed back into their toes. Dude says this is a perfect example of a good Northwest hike, because you get a little of everything: rocks, roots, good trail, holes, creek crossings, overgrown ferns, flat portions, steady climbs, open meadows, great views. About the only typical Northwest thing not seen on this trip was a big crowd. We didn't encounter anyone else all day.

Another perfect hiking day!! We left our toddler at home and so chose Bare Mountain for our hiking date! Arrived at the trailhead around 9:45am. We donned our eucalyptus/lemon bug concotion I bought from the local hiking store just in case the bugs were out! Started off in forest up an old abandoned mining road. At about one and a quarter mile we came to Bear Creek. There were several logs on which to cross. We had no problems. Continued for another quarter of a mile crossing a foot bridge into the Alpine Lakes wilderness. The forest was very beautiful and a shady respite before our ascent into the upper meadows. In another 1/4 mile we came the first open meadow with waist to shoulder deep bracken. Luckily, trail maintenance had just been done! We took a short break around 11am looking at the surrounding peaks! What a lovely day! At 3650ft we took our first left and started now into thicker bracken. We stepped carefully to avoid falling into holes or falling over rocks. 46 or so switchbacks and 1700ft later we climbed onto the 5353ft summit. The heat had geared us down but, the upper meadows were painted a rainbow of colors by a variety of flowers! The views were spectacular...Rainier, Glacier, Snoqualmie Peaks, Olympics, Index area....There is a definite sense of isolation! The Paradise lakes were still frozen. We started down about 1:20pm and ran into a party of 3 woman and then shortly after them a lone guy. The temperature had warmed considerably! We stepped gingerly through the bracken and splashed our faces at each stream crossing. At Bear Creek we dunked our heads. We arrived back at the car around 3:30pm. No problems with bugs. They were there but, no bites! 8miles and 3250 ft. gain! Perfect hike, could have done without the 19mile drive on the gravel FS road though! Oh well, isolation comes with a price! Halley and Joey

The Bare Mountain trail is snow-free and freshly brushed out by the WTA (hooray!) for your hiking pleasure. The initial part of the trail consists of an old road which is badly washed out. After a bit of a climb, the road crosses Bear Creek next to a beautiful waterfall and plunge pool. The bridge is gone, making for a tricky creek crossing. The road turns to trail at another crossing of Bear creek. Here, a picturesquely rickety bridge gets you across the stream with reasonable safety. Past the creek, the trail climbs into an sunny, meadowy valley with views of snowy peaks and waterfalls. I did not go up the final switchback climb up Bare Mountain, which begins at the 2 mile point, and therefore can't comment on the current condition of the trail up there. The climb occurs on a south facing slope that has lost all of its snow (good), but is hot, hot , hot (not so good). Great views are guaranteed. The drive up the North Fork Snoqualmie road to the trailhead is long, but at least the road surface is decent, unlike the jarring Middle fork road.

Yawn, work was very quiet. Can a pika escape for the afternoon? My paws trembled with anticipation as I drove the long, long road to Bare Mountain. Massive clearcuts and industrial forestland whizzed by. At 3 PM I reached the trailhead and scampered up a bouldery roadbed to a river crossing. There is a good log across the first half, then you hop three rocks to finish. I saw 6 people on this trail, but was happy to share it - it is incredible! I expected a Mount Sigh experience, but an incredible circ-mit-waterfalls and large steep meadows made it worth the drive. Hiking up many, many (55?) switchbacks I marvelled at the exponentially expanding views of snowy ridgetops and green valleys. Near the summit I was glad for Mr. Ice Axe, as there was a steep snowfinger I needed to kick steps across. The exposure on this trail is exciting, but watch your step! From the summit I saw Tiny Seattle, Glacier Peak, and many other special friends. Chimney Rock looks especially forbidding from here. Nibbling on some stores from last fall, I began my descent, relaxing only after the snow was passed. My paws were a blur, and I grew dizzy on the switchbacks. I crossed the river and reached the car at 6:20 PM. It is 8 PM, I'm back in the office, nose twitching!

Nate-Bomb joined me today. Mostly clear and warm. The color show is over and the monster ferns have all collapsed. A very enjoyable amount of fungus to be seen. The switchbacks up the south facing slope are mostly dry until 4500', with some bigger snow patches above 5000'. Excellent views from Big Tahoma and Dakobed. Look west for views of the big city. R/T 8+ miles, 3200' gain, 2:30 up and 2:00 down. Only two others on this usually lonely trail.