Green Mountain — Sunday, Aug. 1, 1999

North Cascades > Mountain Loop Highway

My, what a GREEN mountain! Except for the profusion of flowers. The road to the trailhead just opened, and is in ok shape. My passenger car negotiated it just fine. Too bad the drive takes longer than the hike (but I was hiking fast and driving slow). The trail is in very good shape, with only a few minor blowdowns and one slightly problematic large blowdown. You can scoot under it. The trail is nearly covered in brush as you enter the namesake hillsides, but trust your feet to follow the route. Watch out for a few marmot holes on the tread. Snow starts at 5100' and covers most of the trail until the final portion on the ridge. The pond where the trail dips down at about 5300' is less than half frozen. The views from the summit are incredible. There must be thousands of peaks visible. The vista includes closeup views of Glacier Peak and Mt. Baker. The flies are out. I used dynamic mosquito control (keep moving, don't stop!!) and had little trouble until gazing at the views at the summit. Hopefully, next week I'll have a report of nearby Mt. Chaval. Looks like a grand objective!