Nice spring afternoon hike. We headed up the long, rocky road for Dirty Harry's peak, but couldn't locate the Web Mountain turnoff, which is planned for next week. Oh well... after crossing the creek, we made our way up to the fork below the talus field and headed towards the peak. The trail was running with snowmelt as it usually does this time of year. Snow started at 4100 feet and was with us more or less to the top, though the cover was at most 4-5 feet deep. Snowshoes would be complete overkill.

Great day on the trail. Snow started at 3750' but was hikeable all the way to the summit. No problems.

So, it was only Sadie, Hiker Jim and the driver this dreary Saturday (Feb. 24). Left Seattle about 7:30 a.m. and it was raining. By the time we got to North Bend it turned to wet snow, traffic slowed and the road conditions were getting bad. We got to Exit 38 - we almost missed our exit because of all of the snow that had piled up, making the ramp look unpassable. We got onto old Highway 10 through Olallie State Park, turning left under the freeway at Exit 39 (no eastbound exit here). We headed on up through the gate (closes around 4:30 p.m.) with about 1 - 2"" of new snow on the road. Looked for parking near the trailhead but wound up driving all the way to the Fire Training Center and turned around before deciding on a parking spot about 1/4 of mile from the trailhead. Unloaded, geared up and headed up towards the trailhead before 9:00 a.m. - even though we were at 1600' it was snowing like crazy. The snow level was supposed to be about 2000' but we had snow the whole way. At about 2600' the snow got serious and deeper. It appeared someone had brushed out some of the slide alder - but we were still lifting branches to clear our path. Between the slide alder and the creek bed/rocks it was slippery going - the deeper the snow, the better! Today was NOT a view day - what a difference a week makes and the spectacular views we had on Arrowhead Mountain! We kept plodding along - following as best we could the old road - no avalanche danger - even at the boulder field - but the new snow was getting deeper and deeper. Finally, we got to about 4000' and the wind was blowing hard; the snow was coming down steadily; and it was getting deeper and deeper. We all were getting hungry and were cold and wet - so it was break time to grab a bite to eat. Jim and the driver changed their soaking wet gloves to a fresh, dry pair and the driver changed her soaking wet shirt and coat. We thought about what was ahead of us: another 45 minute slog to the summit (less than a mile to go and 700') and the fact that it's unprotected and the winds would be howling - and the decision was easy - head down! Since there were no views anyway . . . Dirty Harry's seemed like the best option for a day like today, given the conditions. We probably got in around 2700' of gain and 8 miles RT. The road to the Fire Training Center had been plowed, but as we walked back to the car, we saw a nice Lexus in the ditch on its side. Sadie is resting comfortably.

The main thing about Dirty Harry's is solitude. On this fine sunny Saturday, I saw only one other hiker. Same was true last winter when I hiked up. Of course, Dirty Harry's lacks charisma. The footbed is often rocky and rough. In addition to the ankle twisting rocks, in the winter there are also stretches of slick frozen snow broken-up by stretches of flowing water. And there are few views along the way. And the way is not exactly obvious. You won't find nice trail markers with arrows pointing in the right direction. Hopefully, you can follow someone else's track so you don't get lost. Here's an important tip: at the big open snow slope, make a sharp left up what looks like a stream bed--don't go straight ahead. That route goes some place else. Today, I followed tracks up the big open slope, a very scenic route leading to a saddle overlooking the Granite Lakes basin where I was last Saturday. From there, I worked my way west to the normal logging road route that leads to the summit of Dirty Harry. The views from the summit are pretty good--east toward Mt. Defiance and south, over to McClellan's Butte and beyond it to Rainier. I took the normal route down, swinging over to Dirty Harry's Balcony on the way down. Nice views of SUV's and Walmart trucks on I-90. Total trip time was about 6 1/2 hours. I carried snowshoes, but didn't need them. Yak Trax were handy on the icy sections. As I said, if you like solitude, try Dirty Harry's.

I didn't quite make the summit 5 weeks ago so returned with companion David to try again. It was cold and windy at the trailhead and we had trepidations about conditions at higher elevations. These were unfounded, as the inversion phenomenon kicked in as we gained elevation and it was mild and windless at the top, with great views in all directions. Conditions were generally ideal for winter hiking. The lower snow layer was firm and well-consolidated, but not icy, and there was a good boot path in the softer new snow. Yak Traks were helpful but not really necessary. The stretches where spring-fed water flows down the trail are a minor annoyance, as the result is a 2-3' trench in the snow without room to hike to the side due to brush. There is one blow-down blocking the trail above the Museum that can be navigated around. The cold and wind returned as we headed down. We tried a quick trip out to the Balcony, but the trail that was best packed headed elsewhere, and I have only been out there once without snow and was not sure of the route. All in all a great winter day.