Early outing to haystack. Started from trailhead by 7:40 and only 6 or so cars. Toilets clean and stocked. Trail in great shape and encountered snow about a mile from top with sections pretty slick. I was in trail runners and was able to navigate. As I was on a time crunch I didn’t linger at top where it was a little windy. Back to car by 11 and didn’t encounter very many people on the way down or up. 

Today I had a great hike to Mt Si! Opting to take the more gentle grade up I started at the Teneriffe Th. 4 cars were in the lot when I pulled in at 8:50. The Porta Potties were open and stocked with TP. It was 36 degrees with mostly sunny skies. My 10 mile route followed the Teneriffe trail then turning left on the Si - Teneriffe connector trail that drops down to the base of Haystack. Surprising overnight snow had you walking in 2 - 3 inches of overnight snow for 1.5 miles. I followed the footsteps of a lone trail runner. Definitely an unexpected snow experience. There were a few dicey areas of compact snow / icy dropping down to the Boulder field on the Mt Si trail. I only saw 3 hikers all the way to Mt Si.
Puffy cumulus clouds made great photo ops with blue skies and territorial views from the top! I met up with my hiking group here. They mentioned several icy areas as well coming up the Si trail. More wildflowers are emerging in the first couple miles of the trail. Yellow Violets, bleeding heart, stinky Bob, miners lettuce, salmon berry and avens were all blooming. Wildlife sightings include camp robbers and squirrels looking for food handouts and 2 chipmunks down in the forest. The ice and snow was really starting to melt out on the descent. Trail traffic on Mt Si trail was what you’d expect- busy. I was surprised how many hikers were heading up the trail between 3:00 & 4:00. It warmed up to 50 degrees when we arrived at Mt Si Th lot at 4:15. Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

Today I had a great hike to Mt Si!  Opting to take the more gentle grade up I started at the Teneriffe Th. 4 cars were in the lot when I pulled in at 8:50. The Porta Potties were open and stocked with TP. It was 36 degrees with mostly sunny skies. My 10 mile route followed the Teneriffe trail then turning left on the Si - Teneriffe connector trail that drops down to the base of Haystack. Surprising overnight snow had you walking in 2 - 3 inches of overnight snow for 1.5 miles. I followed the footsteps of a lone trail runner. Definitely an unexpected snow experience. There were a few dicey areas of compact snow / icy  dropping down to the Boulder field on the Mt Si trail. I only saw 3 hikers all the way to Mt Si.

Puffy cumulus clouds made great photo ops with blue skies and territorial  views from the top!  I met up with my hiking group here. They mentioned several icy areas as well coming up the Si trail. More wildflowers are emerging in the first couple miles of the trail. Yellow Violets, bleeding heart, stinky Bob, miners lettuce, salmon berry and avens were all blooming. Wildlife sightings include camp robbers and squirrels looking for food handouts and 2 chipmunks down in the forest. The ice and snow was really starting to melt out on the descent. Trail traffic on Mt Si trail was what you’d expect- busy. I was surprised how many hikers were heading up the trail between 3:00 & 4:00.  It warmed up to 50 degrees when we arrived at Mt Si Th lot at 4:15. Another fantastic day out in nature with friends.

The parking lot was near empty when we arrived around 10am (as expected on a cloudy Monday). The bathrooms were open and in good condition (even had toilet paper!).

We passed a couple of solo hikers and small groups on the trail. The trail was in good condition with no snow and just a few pesky mosquitos (barely worth mentioning and were only a nuisance when we stopped for a couple water breaks). The forest sections were misty and beautiful even though we were clouded in at the summit. Still a pretty and peaceful day to be on the mountain! Can't wait to go again on a clear day. The elevation gain was challenging at times but manageable for our group of novice hikers. We brought hiking poles and definitely used and were grateful for them!

Trail was great! minor muddy spots; They are almost not worth mentioning because they were so far and few between.
It was a decently crowded day, but many hikers are a good sign that the trail and view are at impeccable conditions!