Wow what a fantastic hike. The views above the tree line are phenominal. I felt like I could see every mountain possible. Baker, cascades from north to south, rainier, glacier is right in your face, and even the olympics.
The trail starts out through the trees with a lot of switchbacks. These are tough but doable. Just put your head down and trudge along. Snow starts at 4200' with the popular snow bridge. I understand the concern for this but just be careful and use good judgment. Trail goes through some slippery annoying spring snow and then you come to the first steep straighaway. This one, like all of them, is steep and in soft, slippery snow. There was a hole in the snow where some water was flowing underneath so watch out for this. After this it is just a series of the same. However, they are more exposed and a look back offers great views of the cascades to the south. These are all hard but as usual, just gotta power through for the highly worth it views.
Watch out for cornices at the top. Spent about 30 minutes at the top eating lunch. There were about 5-6 other people up there but plenty of room to spread out. Throughout the hike there were plenty of people to not feel isolated but not too many where you are always having to pass/be passed. I was alone for most of the hike.
Coming down was much quicker. Glissading was fun and people made great chutes. When I came down around 2, the snow was very soft. Keep this in mind. Briskly walked/jogged down. Started at 11, summit at 1:15, left at 1:45, back at car by 3:15. Great, hard, satisfying hike. Make sure to bring sunscreen and sunglasses! I had hiking boots and poles. Only gear I needed but spikes or gaiters could be helpful.
See my attached google drive folder for more pics of the trail
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