Trail was in good condition today. Got a late start, and upon arriving at 11:30a, was able to get the last parking spot at the upper trailhead. Temps were around 80F, and the 1600ml of water I packed were barely enough. Beautiful clear day despite some haze around staircase from the fire.

Arrived at the Little Quilcene River trailhead at 2pm with the plan to summit Mount Townsend for an overnight. There were 6 cars total when I parked on a Saturday afternoon, proving the "less-crowded Townsend route" rumors to be true. The road in is long and windy and took about 40 minutes from 101. It's a beautiful drive! I made a few stops along the way to soak up the views of Bon Jon pass and mark potential dispersed campgrounds on the way. Normal amount of potholes - not great but nothing crazy.

The trail does in fact go up right away. The grading isn't too horrible, but you'll be working for that first mile. The flat portion after this is actually more of a rolling up and down, but it's still a nice break. Enjoy it, because the steep incline comes back after a half mile or so. It continues steadily to the summit, with views peeping shortly after making the left turn on to the Townsend trail. It's hard to miss - a well-labeled fork with the options to summit or turn right to head to Tubal Cain trailhead.

The north summit was quiet. Just a few of us enjoying the views and saying hello. I set up my tent up top, and ultimately there were 3 tents on the mountain total. Wind was present the entire time, which kept it bug-free all evening night and morning. Bugs were present in the forest on the hike up, but they were fine compared to my experiences in the cascades this time of year.

Incredibly beautiful sunset and sunrise up there. I will go back again to experience the show. Views of Rainier, St. Helens, Seattle, the cascades, baker, puget sound, whidbey island, etc. It is truly a great vantage point up there. 

There were remnants of firepits all over at the top. No one was dumb enough to do this while I was up there, and I am sure no one on WTA is partaking in that. But, I think it is on us to call-out and educate in these situations. Would hate to lose this place to an accident!!

Hike in August & Support Washington Trails Association #HikeaThon

I have been wanting to do this trail for years. Arrived at the trailhead at 7:15am, and there were roughly 3-4 spots in the lot and side of the road. Multiple cars were arriving the same time we were and grabbed most of the remaining spots. Though the road to the trailhead is unpaved for some short sections, it's doable for most vehicles, and we saw many sedans at the lot.

From the trailhead, the trail climbs steadily up to the summit. Smoke was intense and made the initial 3 miles through the forest difficult. Tons of wildflowers along the route and even with the smoke, the views were fantastic. 

Once we cleared treeline the smoke eased up, and we went first to Mount Townsend North Peak were we had a quick snack before backtracking to summit Mount Townsend. We then descended and took the split to head to Silver Lakes. We didn't pass anyone along the way, but there were many folks camped at the lake. The lake was beautiful with wildflower meadows and fish jumping. We took the loop around the lake before heading back. 

Bugs were nonexistent on the way to Townsend summit and Silver Lakes but very annoying around the lake and heading back to the trailhead. Multiple mosquito bites. Flies were jerks but not biting.

Stats: 13.93 miles -- 4,337 elevation gain -- 5:34 total time -- 3.0 mph moving speed

Bugs were not bad for us, we were on trail 6-10am. There were a few mosquitoes and horseflies but nothing warranting spray or head nets. We didn’t camp up high and were only there in the morning, however… recent reports made it sound heinous but that was not our experience and we are pretty biting-insect averse. We started at the Mt Townsend upper trailhead from the SE as seen on Google Maps.

the flowers are fantastic right now and huckleberries are starting to ripen. Smoke present from the Cushman fire but not awful. Did reduce the long distance views up high however! 

trail is amazing, easily runnable if you have the legs for it! 

Left early in the morning and made it to Mt. Townsend Upper Trailhead by 7:15 am. The day started a bit hazy due to forest fires, which unfortunately obscured the views on the way up. The trail is in great shape, with only a couple of easily navigable blowdowns. Wildflowers were still holding strong, and we ended up with about 70 different species in bloom! 

Passed up Mt. Townsend summit and headed to the north peak first. The views here were still a bit smoky, but the haze started to lift just enough to get a few glimpses of the surrounding peaks and marine layer clouds. We then made our way back and hit up the official summit, which offered a slightly different perspective on the landscape.

After enjoying the views, we began the descent, ascent, descent, and ascent toward Silver Lake. The lake itself was a serene and picturesque spot, with fish jumping and even more wildflowers lining its shores. Decided to take a quick walk around the lake before heading back to the car.

Miles the Marmot chose to get into the spirit of things by sporting his firefighter costume. A little on the nose, maybe, but you gotta appreciate the commitment. 

Overall: 14.39 miles, 4,340 ft, and 5hrs 21mins

Song of the trip: Smoke from a Distant Fire by Sanford-Townsend Band (I mean, could I really pick anything else?)