Dirty Harry's Balcony, Dirty Harry's Peak — Saturday, May. 15, 2021

We arrived at the trailhead before 7am and started hiking to the Balcony. Overall this section of the trail was in good condition but beware of the roots and some rocks. Most of the crowd stopped at the Balcony so it was fairly busy at that little area. After the Balcony we decided to head up to the Peak. This section of the trail was rocky and steep. There was a rather difficult stream crossing which I attached a photo. About 1 mile before the peak, the trail was covered in snow. 1 out of 3 of us used microspikes but he said it didn't make much difference because the snow was mushy. On the way up we followed the foot steps which was fine and there were few sketchy patches around some trees. We had a great view of the valley below and Mount Rainier. The path leading to that view was very sketchy so please only do it if you feel comfortable. Poles would be helpful going down the snowfield. On the way down, my friend went in to check out the museum. If you are interested, watch for the cairns close to the difficult stream for the entrance, which we missed on the way up. Overall, a harder hike because of the steep, snowfield crossing and rooty trail.