Mount Si — Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024

Headed to Mount Si with the family to squeeze in a day hike in between all the wet weather. We arrived at the parking lot just after 10am and there were plenty of spaces still open on a cool, cloudy day. Starting at a quick pace our group immediately split in half as the fast walkers pulled ahead, and the other two of us hauled ourselves up the slope at a more ... leisurely tempo. The trail was muddy and flooded in parts but mostly firm, with good traction for the majority of the way. None of us used poles or felt we needed them, but I would say a large number of the people on the trail did have them and seemed to be making good use of them. Though the day was cloudy and overcast, sunlight kept breaking through and lighting the mist through the trees. I noticed some dark blue-purple bunches of Oregon grapes and black salal berries among the bright green foliage. The moss looked deep and soft, the trees were filled with vibrantly-colored needles, and at upper elevations there were pretty grass bunches filling in the undergrowth. It took our quick walkers just under two hours to reach the scree field, with us slowpokes coming in about 40 minutes behind. A cold wind was blowing right after the Old Trail junction as we approached the top, and the views were mostly shrouded in mist at the base of the Haystack. There were just the barest hints of snow at the top, but it definitely felt like more would be on its way soon. We clambered through the rocks to the bottom of the summit, caught a glimpse of the town through the clouds at the overlook, then turned around to descend at 1:20pm. The downward speed was much faster, and we returned to the car at about 3:20pm, factoring in an extended snack break at the interpretive spot by the boardwalk. Overall, despite the gray it was a beautiful hike and the forest felt lush and vibrant. We wondered if all the hikers starting up as we were coming down had taken into account an earlier sunset with the time change, but hopefully everyone was either faster than us, or had good flashlights for the descent!