Road was short, the potholes near the end are deep but navigable. I did it in an impreza. It will take some skill and the extra distance is worth not damaging your undercarriage.
Lot had more cars than expected at 6:30am. Only one tent up at the top, so I guess that is a lot of early AM hikers!
This hike starts out very wet. I cannot imagine how muddy you'd be in a wetter month, probably a lot. The water crossings were fine but I can see how they'd be difficult if the water was any higher. The big crossing over the creek is a tricky as there are lots of social trails probably made by people trying to find an optimal crossing when water levels are higher. Stick to the main trail for the easiest crossing.
The first portion of the trail is pleasant. The old growth is nice. Going up towards Headlee pass is nice too. Headlee itself is steep and it is easy to knock rocks loose, but the switchbacks make it manageable. Fall foliage is past its prime but still was pretty once the sun illuminated it.
Once you are out of breath from headlee and you get your first view of Vesper peak you may have a sinking feeling that the hardest part is yet to come, and you'd be right. Rock and roots give way to granite. There is no right way to the top but plenty of wrong ways. Often after scrambling up something difficult I would notice I did not take the optimal path. The cairns are a rough marker to let you know you're headed the right direction. Honestly, heading down was more difficult than up. I put my climbing gloves on for the scramble down and that helped a lot.
Took me just shy of 4 hours to get to the peak. Views were great though slightly hazy, so that was a shame. Could still see Baker and Glacier Peak. Nice views in every direction! Took me about 3.5 hours to get back to the parking lot (though I did have to stop and manage some blisters that were forming so probably could have done it in less time under ideal conditions). I saw some people with dogs heading up and after scrambling on the granite I am mildly curious if any of them actually made it to the top - feels it would be difficult for many dogs to manage all the way up there.
I started in the dark and so had shade for half the hike up. If this was peak summer weather, I think the heat and direct sun would make this extremely difficult.
Saw (and heard) a couple ravens, some sparrows in the forest (unsure what kind), and many, many pikas.
Overall, fun and difficult hike!
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