Took a new route up Teneriffe today.  Started in the Mount Si parking lot at 0730 with 3-4 cars there.  Hiked the Mount Si trail to the Roaring Creek trail which is about 1 mile in.  The Roaring creek trail is newly worked on and has a couple of bridges running through lovely old growth forest.  It takes you to the Mount Teneriffe Trail on which we made a left to head up to another new intersection with the Falls connector trail.  The Falls connector takes you to Teneriffe Falls trail then up to the falls.  The waterfall was immense today.  With the addition of drippy trees and heavy drizzle, it was a water kind of day.  We then headed up the Kamikaze trail to the summit of Mt Teneriffe.  It was a little tenuous and slick on the rocky area, then a little muddy past the rocks.  We hit snow at 4200 ft but it was just small snow fields (maybe 1-2 feet deep) with boot tracks.  You could easily find footing up the mountain adjacent to the snow but the wet roots, etc were most slick so I stuck with the snow when I could.  You have to pay attention to where you are going as it is easy to get off track.  There are occasional tree wells and some thin snow areas overlying rock but very easy to navigate.  I did not use microspikes but had them with me. I had poles and gaiters which kept my feet a little drier and warmer.  We did not have a view at the snow free summit and there was a cold breeze so we started down to the edge of the meadow area to layer up since it was pretty cold and we were wet.  Had a quick snack and carefully started down paying attention to boot traction and knee alignment of course.  We stopped at the Falls for a bit and admired the spray.  It felt refreshing at this point since we had so many layers on.  We then took the Falls trail down to Falls Connector trail, to Mt Teneriffe Trail, to Roaring Creek trail, to Mount Si trail back down to the parking lot.  It was a great day in the lush forest with little light and a lot of water.  Saw 1 person going to the summit and a handful on the other trails.  Definitely a lot of solitude on a wet day.

Whoah, go away for a few weeks and the website changed! Took me a minute to figure out how to add a trip report. Edelman and I took a short, 5-mile hike in the Teneriffe/Si area today. We started at the Mt. Teneriffe parking lot, which had plenty o' space at 8:40 a.m., and hiked to the Talus Loop turn-off. Did the loop, which brought us back to the Teneriffe trail via the Roaring Creek trail.

It was a gorgeous, warm spring day--the first day this year that I haven't felt cold at all. Just returned from Ireland, where we caught Covid (!), so this was our first time back stateside and mostly recovered, out in the woods. Felt great! (Hiking in Ireland was awesome, but I won't break unspoken rules and post pics  here. I will say that the Aran Islands, Howth, and the Killarney National Park were amazing). The Talus Loop and Roaring Creek trails are in excellent condition, all the work WTA has done on the Talus section, especially, is remarkable. Thank you WTA volunteers! No pics today, as the one I took of baby fiddlehead ferns didn't turn out well. Great hike for folks who need a mellow dip into nature. Talus, for the record, is more hilly than Roaring Creek. We hiked 5 miles RT today.

Our hiking group started from the Teneriffe Trailhead and we traversed the base of Mt Si to a moss covered rocky outcropping we call Moss Vista.  Two other cars were in the TH lot when we pulled in just after 9:00AM.  The vault toilets were locked with a note saying they are closed for repairs. The 2 Porta Potties here were in bad shape and need immediate servicing.  The weather forecast was in our favor after the recent heavy rains.  It was mostly sunny skies and 48 degrees when we started hiking at 9:30.  Our out and back 8 mile hike followed the Mt. Teneriffe, Roaring Creek, Mt Si, Douglas Fir and Boulder Garden Trails. All the trails we followed were well maintained and debris free.  A trail work crew from Earthworks was working on the Roaring Creek -  trail widening, improving drainage and replacing trail signs.  THANK YOU for improving trails for everyone.  Trail traffic was super light with the exception of the Mt Si trail.  We passed less than 20 hikers for the day.  The projected rain showers held off until we were in our vehicles and driving out of the lot at 2:30.

At Moss Vista we had great views to the south of     Rattlesnake Mountain, Taylor Mt and Mt Washington. The winds started to pick so we wrapped up our lunch / rest break started our return hike at 12:20.  There were no major wildlife sightings only a few bird species.  One Hairy woodpecker was on a tree trunk just off the trail 3’ above the ground pecking away. He even posed for several photos and a video.   Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

We saw a couple wildflowers - trillium, red current, salmon berry and yellow violets. Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

Traversed from the Teneriffe TH to Little Si and back. The big lot was about 85 percent full, but the trail didn't feel like it at all. Many people go to the falls and we jumped off Teneriffe to Talus after about 1.6 miles anyway.  Over each segment of our trip we probably saw 3-8 people even with a full Mt Si lot. This was the first time in several years we saw water running under the first bridge.   Some of the creek crossing have been 'enhanced' so there are stepping stones to keep your feet dry. Trails were in great shape. No mud or blowdowns at all, but you can see evidence of recent trail clearing. From the Douglas Fir Trail we took Boulder Garden clockwise and spooked an owl above who took off with its enormous wingspan. It was huge! Ran down and around and back up the steep side to my favorite pass just below the Old Si Trail. So green and mossy with the massive walls flanking the trail. Headed back to Si and across Roaring Creek Trail where a lot of drainage work has been done about halfway across. Thank you to the volunteers! Looks as if the trail is going to be moved a little higher up the slope.

Getting out ahead of the rain on Sunday we did a fun join the dots hike on the flanks of Mount Si.  Starting at the Teneriffe Falls paved lot we had our choice of parking spaces and even when we returned after lunch the lot was barely a third full.  A great option to start here if hiking on the weekend.  Outhouse says closed for maintenance but there are two serviceable port a potties.

Unlike the main Mount Si lot the initial trail here is gently graded offering a nice warm up as you make your way up the connector to the Mount T road-trail.  Passing across the first major bridge I was disappointed to find the creek bed completely dry.  But no worries all other creeks and crossings are up and running well with some pretty bonus waterfalls.  Really felt like spring was gaining the upper hand here.  Turning on to the Roaring Creek trail we found trail builders had been busy improving the already good tread mostly for longevity with new water bars etc.  At the end of RC we turned up the Talus loop and huffed our way up the much steeper incline until we reached the talus overlook.  Winds which had been non-existent started to pick up here and we debated continuing on versus turning back but the whole point was making the loop so on we went.  On the far side of the talus crossing we found the first significant packed snow/ice  but nothing that poles and boots can't handle.  At the main Mount Si junction we turned up to check on Snag Flat, always love to see the big trees here and they were outlined with snow for special effect.  The trail was now fully covered snow/ice but you only need spikes if you are going up beyond this section.  Lots of folks taking a break here so it looked like party time with all the brightly colored jackets.  The wind was now well beyond my comfort level the ridge catching the incoming rain storm.  When you looked up the trees were swaying like reeds so we did not linger.  The main Mt Si drops steeply down here and we (making sure we did not inadvertently take the Doulgals Fir exit) made a quick pace and were soon back down at the start of TL.  Lots of trail traffic here and being the weekend hikers wearing the latest in high-end hiking fashion.  Then it is was back across to RC where the wind once more died down making for a safe and pleasant hike back.

Around 7 miles and 1500 feet or so.