Mount Washington — Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

The Mt. Wa. trail is slowly melting out. Snow now begins just before the Owl Hike vista and rapidly deepens beyond. There is about 2 - 3 feet of snow at the Washington Creek crossing and 4 feet in the basin around the pond. However, hikers have compacted a solid trench all the way to the top of Mt. Wa., and snowshoes are not really necessary. You might bring some along if you want to leave the trench and do side trips. The weather was foggy and cloudy until we arrived at the top of the peak, which was just slightly above the top of the clouds. A bright, late winter sun occasionally beamed through the mist and warmed us up while we ate lunch. Even Mount Rainier made an appearance to the south, before the mist rolled back in. The lower portion of the trail was rocky and rough as usual, but improvements must wait until the issue with the square mile tract of private property that the trail crosses is resolved (probably by purchase of the property by the FS or DNR).