Mount Walker — Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

Gate was locked at Hwy 101 so I joined the 9 cars parked just outside the gate at 1:00 in the afternoon. I went up and down the trail, just joining the road for the section between the two lookouts. I saw 8 hikers, one dog, one spruce grouse, zero troublesome insects, zero places where people had cut switchbacks (yay, people!), one wad of abandoned toilet paper (boo! C’mon, people!) and at least four volcanoes, from Baker to Adams with additional peaks in Canada and maybe a glimpse of Mt St Helens. The trail was in excellent condition, although to this non-wheelchair-user, the short wheelchair accessible loop at the south viewpoint seemed a little brushy and there was the start of a washout that could become a problem. The description of the trail as “steep” is accurate, especially as a (very) early season hike - the hike was far enough and steep enough that I feel like I’ve been somewhere.