Perfect day to spend outside. Looks like tons of people thought the same, so driving from Seattle took longer than expected. Trailhead parking was completely full when I arrived at 1 pm, and it was a significant problem to turn around. I was spared from backing all the way down to the main road by a guy who was leaving just in time. The privy at the TH seems to be serviced once in a month with last check just a week ago, but it’s already run out of sanitizer and is gradually coming to a terrible condition.
There’s a sign at the TH warning that the trail is steep, and oh boy it is! Beginning looks innocent, but it’s getting worse with each step - the further, the steeper. Elevation gain is distributed along the entire length, so there’re hardly any flat stretches. I don’t remember any other trail where I would have stopped so often to catch my breath and calm my heartbeat. Fortunately, almost the entire hike goes in deep shadows of the forest, so it was comfortable even with today’s high temperatures. Despite being so cruel, the trail seems to be quite popular - I'd say it was super crowded given its level of difficulty.
Once you’re at the fork, consider that the summit divides the loop into roughly one third (to the left) and two thirds (to the right). I did hike the loop clockwise, and the right arm looked steeper to me, with ups and downs and quite a few blow downs to cross. So hiking CW seems to be an easier direction to reach the summit. Views change a bit as you continue the loop from the peak, so it’s a worthy addition to the hike.
Little snow patches on the trail start after the junction and are easy to cross. Views won’t emerge until near peak. Small rocky outcrop provides seating space for like five people and easily gets overcrowded. Views are open just enough to enjoy them, but are not panoramic or totally unobstructed. Beware of fearless snack stealing birds!
It took me solid two hours to crawl up, half an hour to relax at the top while unwillingly sharing my snack with birds, and an hour to run back to the car - which would be even less if I didn’t continue the loop. Nice hike for a hard workout, come prepared and enjoy!
Comments