Went up to the peak today. Boot pack all the way. No snowshoes necessary. Spikes are very useful. Lots of ice on the trail especially in the morning

TLDR: Snow on trail at all time exponentially getting deeper. Traction devices highly suggested.

Started hike around 7AM with only two other vehicles in the parking lot. Bathroom was unlocked and very clean. The snow was freshly fallen from the night before and covered the trail the entire way which is a nice sight to see but tiring when you're the first one out on the trail. Finally met folks around 10:30AM. I've started to use my spikes around mile 3 as the snow began to progressively get higher. Last mile to the peak had snow that went to calf level and even knee level at times but the visibility was great on the east side of the peak. Weather was partly cloudy with occasional low wind. As the day went on, the trail began to be packed down with the increasing foot traffic which made it easier to hike overall. 

Please bring adequate gear and equipment before starting the hike. Spotted too many hikers without proper footwear, spare clothes or even a bag and were attempting to get as far as the truck. Beautiful hike this time of year but please ready!!

Went with a group of fellow-Mountaineers to Dirty Harry's Balcony and Peak to enjoy the freshly fallen snow.  

We got an early start at 7am using headlamps to prep our gear.  The first couple miles were mostly snow free and there was about 12-18" of snow at the top.  There were 7 of us so we make a good track. Only one of us decided on snowshoes. The rest of us just wore good boots and didn't even pull our our microspikes.  

There were a few small trees to step over that had fallen on the trail and there were a number of "streams" from running water, but with rocks to make getting across trouble free.

Arrived at the trailhead for Dirty Harry’s Balcony at around 9am on a sunny Veteran’s Day.  With the holiday, the parking lot was already 75% full.  The restroom was relatively clean, stocked, and surprisingly not stinky at all.  With clear skies in the forecast, I decided to make my first visit to Dirty Harry’s Peak with quick stops at the Balcony and the other viewpoints along the way.   The trail switches back and forth along the south-facing side of the mountain which provided beautiful, filtered sunlight all day long across most of the trail and warm sunshine at the various overlooks.  Surprisingly there was no snow on the trail at all, even at the higher elevations.

I have been to the Balcony and the Museum on several earlier occasions, but this was the first time I crossed the stream just beyond the Museum turn-off (about 3.5 miles from the trailhead, including a quick Balcony side-trip).   The stream’s water level was much more manageable than it was in the spring and crossing it was not a problem, especially with trekking poles.  It’s “only” another 1.5 miles from here to the peak but it’s approximately 1,300 feet of additional elevation gain.  The trail steepens and then steepens again before you reach the summit.  The climb is not technical at all and there is no exposure until you reach the top of the ridge where the drop-offs are significant.

Note that Dirty Harry’s Peak is not above the tree line so the views are scattered along the peak’s ridge.  The most interesting view was looking over the ridge to the view of the Middle Fork valley, with Lower Granite Lake directly below.  (This was a novelty for me because the lower lake is not visible at all from the Granite Lakes trail!) I was hoping to be able to see both of the Granite Lakes but I could not find a vantage point that included the upper lake.    On the south side of the ridge there was also a nice view of Mount Rainier, which was backlit with the bright sunshine.  After a short snack break, I headed back down the trail relying heavily on my trekking poles to avoid slipping on the steep, rocky trail.  The lower part of the trail was busy with many hikers working their way up to the balcony in the early afternoon, but it never felt crowded and all of the dog owners were super-respectful of other hikers.

5 hours, 9.4 miles, 3,600 feet elevation gain

First time on this trail. It was a great workout and had some charms, but I don’t feel compelled to go back again anytime soon. I first hit intermittent snow about 3 miles up trail. Snow steadily got deeper as I ascended, topping out around 6-8 inches at the top. Views were limited from the top, although I could see Mt. Baker off in the distance. On the way down I visited the “museum.” Really interesting to see the old logging truck and ponder how different things must have been to drive such a massive truck up there. I also hit the balcony on the way down for views of McClellans Butte, Mt. Washington, and the I90 corridor.