Mount Washington — Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

We arrived at the trail head at 9:15 am; there were about 6 other cars in the lot, and throughout the hike we saw about that many different groups of people, so not too busy today. The trail for the first half of the hike is fine, although there are one or two easily-passable logs down, one very muddy/water-logged area and a fairly easy stream crossing. The second half of the hike had snow on the trail, but there is still enough traction for a sure-footed person with normal hiking boots. Three of our crew had micro-spikes, which was really handy; if you have them, bring them. Near the top, it was quite windy, but still unbelievably beautiful. This is my favorite hike in terms of the payoff at the top. In terms of time, our not-very-in-shape group took almost 3 hours to get to the top, and almost 2 to get back down. The hike overall is a bit steep but is absolutely worth it. This is the second time our group has been up Mt Wa (first was in the summer) and I would highly recommend it, in any season.