Boulder Garden Loop, Mount Si - Old Trail — Sunday, Jun. 12, 2011

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

With several lighter-pack hikes under my belt I decided to add some weight and get a good elevation climb in. Boulder Garden/Old Si trail fit this bill just fine. Weather was nice and cool with an ever so slight breeze in the works. The trails are in good shape with the occasional mud puddle to negotiate. The climb up the Old Si trail was predicable – steep, unforgiving and up, up, up, and up. With my primary focus on getting used to heavier loads to carry and establishing a rhythm, I did not spend too much time checking out the flora – that plus I forgot my camera in my other pack. That said, I did see the last of the trillium in bloom, a few terrestrial orchards, and a few ripening salmon berries (still a bit too tart for me). We ate at the false summit as hikers coming down from the summit/bench area stated that the view was the same and it was very, very windy. I dumped just over 20 pounds of water, took some ibuprofen, and headed down. Trip down was uneventful – the best kind. Next time we will leave one car at the new Si trail parking lot and hike up the old Si trail and come down the new Si trail as the decent on the old trail can be dicey – we had one of my Scouts join this hike and he could have benefited from an easier hike back. Happy Trails