Lowest part of the trail is mostly free of snow (there is snow along the road at the trail start), but steady snow cover prevails by the Balcony (except the usual numerous places with running water). Snow depth is manageable without snowshoes until beyond the talus slope, but then it steadily deepens and there is no snowshoe trench. I turned around at about 4200', less than 1/2 mile from the top, sinking knee deep into 3 plus feet of soft heavy snow. By then it was snowing hard. Headed down, I met a guy carrying snowshoes who probably had a better shot at the summit. Lower down the snow turned to rain, and combined with running water on the trail I was pretty well soaked by the time I got back to the car.

This was my first full attempt at Dirty Harry's Peak after ascending up to the Balcony a few times in the past. First, the good: if you're looking for a good, solitary workout, this is a great hike for you. I saw a grand total of zero people on the trail all day, despite it being a Sunday and gorgeous outside. Now, the bad: The bugs. Oh man, the bugs. I've done plenty of hikes in the PNW but I don't think I've ever seen it quite as bad as this. They start immediately and are a relative annoyance for the first half of the hike. However, once you pass into the old-growth forest past the first big boulder field, they really get ridiculous. Despite multiple applications of DEET, I had all sorts of things flying into my ears. The trail is relatively snow-free except for a small patch on the top that can be circumvented easily. However, there's a lot of water and mud on the trail (probably linked to the bug problem) so definitely wear your water-proof boots. Finally, while the markers on the trail are a huge help, the route becomes extremely difficult to follow. I probably spent about an hour of my ascent scampering around trying to find the next marker or blaze, almost giving up a few times. Now I usually don't mind trail-finding, but when you have 8,000 flying things buzzing around your end, it gets old soon. Once you do get to the top, the views are fantastic although you only get small peeks up until then.

The route up to Dirty Harry's is essentially snow-free, except for the final 50-75 yards at the very top where it flattens out. The trail is otherwise in the 'usual' condition, meaning not a trail you would take home to meet your mother. The tread is rough much of the way, and in some stretches is essentially a stream bed. On the plus side, the upper part was brushed out last year, and I stayed dry even though the trees were dripping with condensation from the fog and clouds. No significant blowdowns. No view today.

With an unusual gap between trips I was eager to get out a give my legs a bit of a stretch. I was hoping for something a bit more exotic than the logging road approach to Dirty Harry's summit. I felt a bit disconnected with the current conditions in the mountains so I felt something safe and familiar would be better. I also wanted something shortish is both time and location from home. I parked near the start of the logging road that summits this peak. I was happy that the snow started higher up than I expected and when I hit consolidated snow it was the best climbing snow I have ever seen. It was hard but super grippy making the slog much less tedious. The weather was a bit unstable with long periods of very heavy hail showers. I only stayed for a moment I am always nervous with the steep drop off to the north which I am sure is heavily corniced. I made good time back to the truck and was treated to some sunny weather for my drive home. Thanks Mom!

Where to go snowshoeing in conditions like this? Hiker Jim joined us this morning. We wanted a hike that was a safe and short drive, a good workout, and with minimal avalanche danger. Therefore we chose Dirty Harry's Peak, which is accessed from exit 38 from I-90. Directions can be found in the book ""55 Hikes around Snoqualmie Pass"". The road-trail begins at elevation 1350ft. in a stream bed. We booted up about 2 miles, then put on our snowshoes. Since the snow was so deep and soft, it was really helpful to have 3 people breaking trail. In places there was a lot of brush to plow through, and at times the road-trail was a virtual stream that we had to walk up with our snowshoes. There is only one open slope on this route, and you cross it at the bottom of the slope. (minimal avalanche danger). As you approach the top the trail steepens, then levels off as you reach the summit. All in all, this is a great winter outing. Distance: 11 miles RT Elevation Gain: 3400 ft. Time: 4.25hrs. up, 2 hrs. down