Crystal Peak — Friday, Aug. 23, 2019

What a hike! While the trail description seems none too impressed about the second-growth forest, I appreciated the stream running alongside for parts of the trek as well as the shade. After splitting from the Crystal Lakes portion of the trail, there was another log bridge stream crossing and then a remaining old growth trees, seemingly fire-scarred and impressive among the younger specimens. As you clear the tree line, wild flowers are rare and the berries are green; however, trek on a bit further and you will find ripening berries well within reach of the trail that you can use to motivate yourself up the peak. Impressive views of Rainier start well below the summit, so this hike has a lot to offer even if you don’t quite summit. Pressing on, there were the first hints of fall color, and I could imagine this trail being alive with color as the year moves on. A surprising number of wildflowers were hanging on near the summit, so it felt a bit like getting three seasons in one hike!

I had the trail to myself mostly, and even a short couple minutes of solitude at the summit. The few folks I did meet at the summit were the friendliest! Someone has brought up a summit log to sign (began on August 9th) encased in a white tube among the summit rocks. This was quite a work out for me, but I was blown away by the views. Gorgeous day and a great work out. Highly recommended. I’ll come back on a cloudy day to do the lake trail.