Hi, we're the Mountain Goats (Terrence and Nathan), and today I (Terrence) climbed Mount Dickerman with my buddy Evan. This is my 2nd time up Dickerman, and it won't be my last. Dickerman is undoubtedly one of the best bang-for-your-buck hikes in Washington.
We rolled in around 8:45 am and saw 2 cars parked on the Dickerman side with a few others parking on the Forgotten side. The weather was overcast, and I hit a few rain showers near Lake Stevens. Luckily, the clouds stayed high and the rain stopped. The first 2.5 miles aren't great. It's just a series of steep, short switchbacks through some dense woods. Its only saving grace is Big 4 Mountain, which looms over you to the East and teases you the whole way up, occasionally allowing you to peek through the trees and gaze upon its upper slopes.
Things really get fun around 4,900 feet. The terrain transitions from forests to meadows, and the views begin to open up. Big 4 is definitely the highlight of the first half of the hike, but Del Campo steals the show for the 2nd half. The backside of Del Campo is one of the most gorgeous mountains in WA, and luckily for us, it was staring at us the whole way up. After the trail flattened out a bit, it steepened one last time as we ascended Dickerman's meadowy backside through a series of steep switchbacks.
The views from the summit were unbelievable (3 Fingers, Forgotten, Columbia, Sloan, Glacier, Vesper, Pugh), where all were visible. The visibility was even good enough for Elderado to be visible wayyyy in the distance.
All in all, we saw 2 groups when we were going up and 2 when we were heading down. Luckily, they were all going the opposite way, so we had the whole trail and summit to ourselves. To the 2 guys with the dog that just left a dog poop bag half a mile from the trailhead :( . Come on, guys, y'all are wayyyyyy too old to be doing that nonsense.
Overall, this is one of the classic hikes of Washington and a must-do. Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Stay safe, pack out your trash, and Happy Hiking!
Comments