It's been five days since the last trip report for Sauer's Mountain so I decided I'd better get cracking. I reached the trailhead right at 8am and got the third from last empty parking space. As I was putting on my pack the last two spaces were taken as well. The weather was slightly overcast and mild, with temps around the low 50s or so. The trail is quite dry and dusty, and there are several sections where it's a bit slippery and/or precarious with a narrow trail on a steep hillside. Also, near the summit you have to cross a forest road and scramble up the hillside a little, making it a little hard for small kids and dogs. The rest of the trail though is a cakewalk.
Even though there technically weren't that many people on the trail I couldn't avoid following or being followed by fairly loud-speaking fellow hikers. It was like that both going up and coming down, so I never got much in the way of solitude. What I did get though was lots of flower pictures. The Basalmroot is mostly spent on the lower part of the trail, but from the ridge all the way to the summit most of the show is still ongoing, if well past its peak. The Lupine is now at peak, as are numerous little white and yellow flowers I can't identify. Also the Indian Paintbrush is coming out, so the result was a colorful mosaic in places. If you're a wildflower junkie you've got perhaps a few more days before the Basalmroot is completely done and it becomes mostly a Lupine/Paintbush show.
It took me 1 1/2 hours to reach the top, partially because I kept stopping to take pictures. It was a bit breezy there, and there were lots of people hanging around the Sauer's Mtn sign so I continued on a little ways and found a spot looking north where I could see Glacier Peak while resting and having a snack break. I shared that spot with a few other hikers and even a motorcyclist. Going back down took just over one hour. By then not only were the designated parking spaces still full but I could see a half dozen vehicles parked just beyond the No Parking signs, and more hikers were walking up the road from places further down where they'd parked. Please folks, if you're unable to snag a spot in the designated parking area then try another hike nearby instead, perhaps Icicle Ridge or Cashmere Preserve. If this keeps happening someone is going to complain loud enough to get this trailhead closed down.
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