Mount Washington — Monday, Feb. 16, 2015

Snoqualmie Region > North Bend Area

Fun hike- we only went up to the bowl this time. There was a little frost and needle ice in the sunless bits, but no snow. Surprisingly little water for this time of year, the lower stream crossing was entirely dry. On the way down, we saw a fair amount of smoke drifting from off-trail below. After some running and bushwhacking, I found a couple guys with a campfire. I couldn't remember positively whether they were legal here (they're not, outside of established campsite fire rings), so didn't want to be aggressive about asking them to put it out. I did explain that their smoke was drifting across the trail and had alarmed several people, but they seemed unfazed. Lost my knife in the scramble to make sure it wasn't a more serious fire. Downer end to an otherwise pleasant day.