I was headed to E WA w my friend and we stopped to do this hike. there were about a million people, maybe 20% had ever hiked before in their lives. the lack of trail etiquette on this was quite frustrating at times and I had so much anxiety for all the geniuses who did this in flip flops and a tiny bottle of water. I had my day pack, full CamelBak and poles, and it was still a challenge. I could complain or scold here but I don't think the people who need to get the message are looking at trip reports.
the march up the mountain was slow, took us about 1.5 hours. the lower ledge was crowded, with folks waiting in line to take their selfies and visibly annoyed at those of us who were enjoying our snacks and trail beers lol most people turned around at this point and headed back down. my friend and I continued up to the middle and upper ledges and I'm so glad we did. they weren't much further, there was far less people and the views were just as sweeping, if not more so.
if I'd know then what I know now, I'd skip the lower ledge entirely and save my trail beer for the peaceful middle ledge.
it took us 40 minutes to get back to the car and boy, did my knees and toes hate me by the end, even with poles.
Comments
BlueGoat on Rattlesnake Ledge
Yes--you sound just like me. For years I hiked just to the first ledge, trying to avoid the crowds by going really early, like 7:00 am. A couple years ago I finally wised up and started going to the other ledges, which has been much better. I always see the worst behavior on that trail.
Posted by:
BlueGoat on Jul 13, 2023 10:48 AM
Raczabel on Rattlesnake Ledge
@bluegoat - my friend and I theorize it's the proximity to Seattle. These super popular Cascades hikes attract people looking for cool selfies but they don't have any respect for the wilderness or other hikers. I'm not kidding about the anxiety either, I was constantly on edge we'd have to help someone down who was woefully unprepared:/ and I didn't even mention the off leash dogs and people blaring music. I rarely see this behavior in the Olympics. It happens, but it's rare.
Posted by:
Raczabel on Jul 13, 2023 10:57 AM