Mount Si - Old Trail, Boulder Garden Loop — Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2011

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Today was a clear beautiful day to hike Mount Si. But instead of taking the popular route to the top, the adventure started at the Little Si parking lot. This is a nice hike that provides a variety of scenery as you hike the Boulder Garden Loop trail in order to start the old trail to Mount Si. Start the Little Si trail and within 0.3M you will reach the first sign for the Boulder Garden Loop trail(1.5M). I continued on the Little Si trail for another 0.2M and at this point started the Boulder Garden Loop trail which is the north section of the trail. The trail increases in elevation and is green with trees, moss and lots of ferns. Eyes were peeled for boulders and soon they appeared. Large boulders, huge boulders and unfathomable boulders along the trail. The sky seemed to disappear as the trail took you through the forest with boulders on each side of the trail. The Mount Si (old trail) begins off of the Boulder Garden Loop trail. The trail is easy to find (look for several large stone steps) even though there is no sign. The trail is in good condition however there are several muddy areas that will soon dry out and some downed trees and branches. Snow was on the trail at about 3,000 ft. Soon snow was covering the trail and the forest floor. Now wearing microspikes it was time to follow the boot path of prior hikers who had been on the snowy trail. At one point the main Mount Si trail comes close to the old trail, so you may see other hikers in close proximity as you near the top. Closer and closer to hooking up with the popular Mount Si trail, I had to giggle at the sight along the trail of the "Great Hiker Snowman" sporting evergreen hair, branch arms sporting 2 hiking poles and a stogie. The poor guy was missing his eyes so while I continued to reach the main trail and go to the top I knew I had to help him out. The summit was busy with many hikers including a large group of teenagers having fun begging the birds to feed out of their hands. Prior to this point, I had seen only five people on the trail and one couple with a baby on the Boulder Garden Loop trail. And for today, one can not forget to mention the wind. It was very windy all day and excessively windy and cold at the top. Therefore, it was uncomfortable to stay at the top for an extended time. With my mission in mind, on my way down I found a pinecone and evergreen piece to serve as eyes for the "Great Hiker Snowman." I also gave him a bit more evergreen hair. He is located a few hundred feet off of the main Mount Si trail so only those taking the old trail will get to see him. It has been a great year for snow, so I have a feeling he will be a lucky guy and have a long life for a snowman. My return trip included the remaining portion of the Boulder Garden Loop which also has many more impressive boulders, some used by climbers. It was tempting to hike Little Si but today time was limited and I knew I would have to deal with the high winds again at the peak of Little Si. Overall, the Little Si trailhead is a great place to start a hike offering lots of options.