Mount Walker — Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The gate at the road is now closed so you'll need to park just off Highway 101 and hike about 1/4 mile to the trailhead. The road has compact snow and ice so it was slippery just getting to the trailhead. Once on the trail it was snow free for most of the hike, with intermittent icy patches the closer you got to the summit. The last quarter mile or so has compact snow and ice most of the way up. Having trekking poles and ice crampons were a big help, especially coming down when you are more likely to slip and fall. Made it up and back without any problems. There was fog looking toward Seattle so did not get to see the city, but Mt. Rainier was visible above the fog. The Olympics were visible and beautiful as usual. For a mid-week hike there were quite a few people on the trail today. I think I saw 88 or 10 hiking groups. Didn't see any critters other than the usual Gray Jays mooching at the top. Overall a great day to hike, get a good workout in and enjoy the scenery.