Mount Walker — Monday, Jan. 14, 2019

Ventured up to Mt Walker on 1-14-19 starting at 10:30am, there was already 15+ cars parked at the locked gate along the highway. The walk up the road to the actual lower TH is pretty short. Trail conditions are great, no snow or ice even at the viewpoints. The incline is constant and coming down felt like torture on my knees in a couple places haha, so poles were helpful coming down but not everyone was using poles. Definitely a thigh burner!! Vault toilets past the first viewpoint are unlocked and the picnic table was a nice lunch spot. The South viewpoint is absolutely worth the time, around a mile RT extra. Enjoyed the Gray Jay visitors and views of Rainier, Saint Helens and teeny tiny Seattle. Came back down the trail though it seemed like many people followed the road back down as we did not see many people coming down as we made it up