Umtanum Ridge Crest — Monday, May. 15, 2017

Today, I braved a trail that defeated me last year. To be fair, it was much cooler today than my last trip, but this time I carried an additional 27 pounds of camera equipment!

The trail was quite a challenge for me, and I almost turned around not far from the top. It wasn't so much the exertion that almost made me turn around, but how steep the trail was! I almost had to resort to crawling up the slope.

I wish I could say the view at the top was worth the trip, but the clouds had rolled in, and most of the mountains were covered. Still, this was more a hike of determination to prove to myself that I could do it than a hike to see the scenery.

On the way, I saw lots of butterflies, a lizard, wildflowers, and only a few intrepid hikers. This is definitely a hike that's great for conditioning, and on a clear day, I can imagine the view at the top would be stunning! I uploaded a 360 of the view at the top to RoundMe.com. Just follow the link at the bottom.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://roundme.com/tour/152427/view/385065/