Crystal Peak — Thursday, Jul. 6, 2017

Talk about an excellent hike on a sunny, yet not overly warm, Thursday. We started the day a bit late and made it to the trailhead at 10:45. Immediately upon starting, the uphill climb begins and refuses to let up the entire way. The trail will definitely test some people's endurance, but it's worth it regardless. We were treated to many wonderful sights and sounds along the way including multiple lovely stream crossings, a very peaceful forest, a deer walking toward us right on the trail, lake views, wildflowers blooming everywhere, bright green meadows, all leading up to a summit that allowed us to take in Rainier while also clearly in view of Adams, St. Helens, Baker, and Glacier Peak (we could not spot Hood). We made it to the top in 2 hours and 15 minutes after which we really took our time to take everything in while enjoying lunch. All in all this was an amazing hike with outstanding views at the top. What made it even better was how surprisingly (even for a Thursday) little foot traffic we encountered along the way (i.e., 2 parties coming down as we were climbing and only 1 other hiker going up along with us). I highly recommend it.