Granite Mountain, Granite Mountain - Winter — Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001

Snoqualmie Region > Snoqualmie Pass

A great early morning hike. Ray and I started at 6:15 am. Some icy snow on the trail, then some kicked steps headed up just left of an avalanche gully. Soon the steps ended, and we put on crampons for fast progress on the hard, steep slopes. There was about an inch of powder in some places. The lookout tower balcony was locked off, but the views improved, with interesting holes in the clouds below. There was mostly blue sky above, but a broad swath of grey cloud covering the valleys and the views eastward. No need for snowshoes, but crampons are very useful. It's nice to have an ice ax in some places. Moderate wind. What a nice peak!