Note this is the "Old Mt. Si" Trail. Good and hard. A very lonely trail and not for the tennis shoe crowd.

We have hiked up Mt. Si many times, but always via the "New Si Trail" (built ca 1970.) We had heard of the "Old Si Trail" (built ca 1931) that leaves from the Little Si trail head, but had not hiked it until today. My hiking buddy Marin and I started up the Little Si Trail and, in 0.3 miles, turned onto the signed Boulder Garden Loop. Near the high point of the loop, we located the unsigned Old Si Trail heading steeply uphill. The old trail is shorter but, on average, much steeper than the new trail, While the footing is good in many sections, the old trail does have some rough, rooty sections. Hikers who find the new trail strenuous might not enjoy the old trail. We encountered only two other hikers on the old trail. As we gained elevation on the old trail, we passed briefly within a few feet of the new trail. Several hikers on the new trail eyed us skeptically, no doubt assuming we were off trail rather than on a different trail. The old trail joins up with the new trail just before the new trail begins a rocky climb to the east-facing viewpoint. While this is not a wildflower hike, we did see a few wildflowers (e.g., foxglove and tiger lily lower down, valerian and beargrass higher up.) Mozzies are beginning to appear at the higher elevations. We were buzzed by a few, but accrued only a single bite between us. We found the old trail an interesting alternative to the new trail, and likely will hike it again from time to time.

So it turns out that I chose the perfect day to take off from work. Conditions were excellent on the trail and it wasn't as hard of a hike as I had anticipated. I arrived early and it was nice to not have too many folks on the trail going up. The views were amazing and it was worth the effort. Since this was my first solo hike it was actually nice to see others heading up.

With several lighter-pack hikes under my belt I decided to add some weight and get a good elevation climb in. Boulder Garden/Old Si trail fit this bill just fine. Weather was nice and cool with an ever so slight breeze in the works. The trails are in good shape with the occasional mud puddle to negotiate. The climb up the Old Si trail was predicable – steep, unforgiving and up, up, up, and up. With my primary focus on getting used to heavier loads to carry and establishing a rhythm, I did not spend too much time checking out the flora – that plus I forgot my camera in my other pack. That said, I did see the last of the trillium in bloom, a few terrestrial orchards, and a few ripening salmon berries (still a bit too tart for me). We ate at the false summit as hikers coming down from the summit/bench area stated that the view was the same and it was very, very windy. I dumped just over 20 pounds of water, took some ibuprofen, and headed down. Trip down was uneventful – the best kind. Next time we will leave one car at the new Si trail parking lot and hike up the old Si trail and come down the new Si trail as the decent on the old trail can be dicey – we had one of my Scouts join this hike and he could have benefited from an easier hike back. Happy Trails

First time on the old trail. I've hiked the regular trail dozens of times. The old trail is harder, steeper but liked it better because there were significantly less people. Great conditioning hike.