We got a late start (around 1:00 p.m.) which turned out to be a blessing: the snow on the upper trail was now soft and not as slippery for us as it was for the people who went up early. Snow covered the last 1 mile of trail, but was manageable with or without ski-poles. The day was spectacular with views in all directions. There was never a chance to get lonely and half the fun was seeing what different folks decide to wear on a trip up mount Si! 2 hours up, 1.75 hours down.

Sun was shining in Seattle so seemed like a good time to finally hike up to Mt. Si. After hiking around here for 20 years and NEVER having been up Si, wasn't sure what to expect. Snow on trail starting at 1.5 miles. Gets heavy further up, but never a problem. A bit slippery in places on the way down. Summit was in the clouds, so no views today, but a great workout. And it was fun to hike in the snow after snowshoeing so much this winter! About 30 or so folks on the trail, and 4 dogs...on a Monday'! I guess that's how it is on Si, eh' Good weather: no rain or snow and sun breaks on the way down. Only real hazard was the heavy snow falling off the trees and landing on one's head! It snowed here last night.

Today,a friend & I climbed Mount Si for the first time. We left from the trailhead at 9:40am. For the first 1.5 miles, the trail was predictably wet and muddy. From about the 1.5 mile mark, snow was on the ground, the trail mostly slush & mud. From about the 2 mile mark, compact snow was on the trail. For anyone with boots that lack traction (as did mine), this isn't so much a problem on the ascent. However, it was in the back of my mind that we were going to have a heck of a time coming down. We did have ski poles, which truly saved us. We decided our ""summit"" for the day was the area beneath the Haystack. We were in the clouds without a view and it was lightly snowing. While eating my lunch, a man was telling us that he has climbed Si many times and had never seen so much snow. He said it's not even this bad in December. Apparently, much of the snow was dumped overnight. Anyway, we began our descent. Our descent took 2 3/4 hours! (That exceeded our ascent time of 2 1/2 hours.) For anyone who plans to climb Si in the next few days, I strongly suggest wearing boots that track well in snow, and bring some poles. A couple breezed by us on our way down, thanks to their crampons. I fell about 4 times! A beautiful hike in spite of the clouds. Bottom line advice: bring snow gear and dress warmly!

Wow! If you weren't out hiking on Saturday you lost out big time. Anywhere would have been great, my choice was Mount Si. A great hike close in to the Seattle Area and (i hoped) not much snow. I was mostly right. Si is snow free and well maintained to about the 3 mile mark. After this it gets a bit tricky. Snow has compacted on the trail, creating a slippery dangerous surface. The folks with the crampons and ice axes smiled and kept going. Those with sturdy boots and gaiters (me) grinned, slipped a few times, and kept going. Those with $20 hiking boots fell on their butts. And the weenies with the sneakers had to turn around, 'xept for a few crazies. Great comraderie at the top (+ awsome views). Top of Si is snow covered, but with plenty of exposed rocks to sit on for lunch. The most difficult part of the trail was the finding a parking spot at noon on that 70 deg. day! Trail crowded at first, traffic thins at 1.5 mile mark, and crowds again in snowy areas. Traffic in the snow area precluded stepping off the narrow trail into the snow to let others pass, if you don't take gaiters - you'll be wet. (you only need them for the last mile to top). See you on the trail. EJS.

Trip Date: 2/28/99 Elevation Gain: 3,100 ft Round Trip Distance: 8 miles No one wimped out on this trip. We had a full crew: John, Pete, Debbie, Alexandra, Laurie and I all fit into my car for the drive out to Mt Si. It was a little tight, but we saved a lot of gas and had some nice discussions during the ride. We had pretty good weather considering how much it has been raining lately. The first 1/2 mile or so of the trail had water running down it in many places. Other than that, the trail was in good shape. We had sun for part of the way up. John hiked part of the way up shirtless and in shorts. (I wonder what he'll do in summer!) Around the 2.5 mile marker, it started to snow. From about 2.7 miles to the summit, there was packed snow on the trail. This was easy to walk on and we witnessed some people in sneakers making the trek. No snowshoes required. However, take one step off the beaten path near the top, and prepare to sink 2-3 feet in snow. There was about 3+ feet of snow at the summit. If you want to explore around there in the haystack basin, you probably are going to want snow shoes. Our views were pretty limited due to fog at the top. At the summit, there are a lot of nice bare rocks to sit on and feed the gray jays. Not long after the whole team arrived and was eating lunch, it started to snow heavily and it became windy. We didn't stay up there long and had some fun doing standing glissades on the way down. It stopped snowing or raining for most of the way down, rained heavily for the last 1/2 mile, and broke out into bright sun on our drive back. Sounds like typical Seattle spring weather! for other reports and pictures see: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/4424/hikes.html