Great hike. Views were awsome, views off all the mountains. Wild flowers. Weather was great trail was in good shape.

Little Quilcne trail is a great if grueling connector between the Tubal Cain trailhead out of Sequim and the Mt Townsend trail. A side trip to Silver Lakes brought the only serious bugs of the trip, as well as out of control dogs who wound up attacking some new trail friends.

More than a dozen cars at the T.H. by 10:30 am, but still room to squeeze in a few more. The trail is shaded in the beginning, with three watering holes for the dog. Beyond that, it's exposed, sunny and very very hot, with me finally having to let Daphne hike off-leash for a spell so she could dart from one shady patch to another. Trail is in great shape, with moderate grades alternating with gentler portions, a nearly 3000 ft vertical gain. At the summit, about a dozen folks were eating lunch, dozing, or talking, so Daphne and I came back down to a welcome patch of shade and cold white snow, where another dog was already cooling himself down. The views are wonderful long before you reach the top, and all the mountains were out this day. Bring lots of water for your pooch and for yourself, and don't forget your NW Forest Pass. Wildflowers in bloom, abundant with brilliant color right now: columbine, tiger lilies, lupine, queen's cup, paintbrush, phlox, penstemon, yarrow, bluebells, bunchberry, buttercups, and a few more. No bugs to speak of, and trail is in great shape. One small blowdown but easy to cross. STATS: Time up: 2:10 Time down: 2:00 Distance: 8.2 miles Elevation gain: 2950 ft (upper TH 3250'-6200')

I must be living right! Was able to enjoy the top and all the views in solitude for an hour with the pup-she was more than happy to rest and watch the chipmunks. Views were incredible with all the major mountains in plain view: Rainier, Helens, Adams, Glacier, and Baker. At first they were above the cloud layer and then that lifted to include views of the sound. 360 degrees of beauty! Little snowfields were still present in a few places alongside the trail which the pup enjoyed cooling off in and sliding. Quite a few flowers in bloom: rhodies, phlox, paintbrush, and so many others. Beautiful baby blue butterflies, and a hummingbird added to the event.

If you would like to hike to an incredible viewpoint and be surrounded by a field of flowering phlox, then by all means head up Mount Townsend ASAP. On this day, I started at the lower Sink Lake trail because I wanted to see the lake and some of the big trees. I wasn’t disappointed. The trail climbs steadily but the views start early and keep getting better. My eyes powered my legs and before you know it you are up on the summit ridge. There was but a speck of snow on this day, and I was grateful for the chance to grab a fist full of snow to cool myself on the steady climb. I remember reading that Stanford researchers had developed a hand held device that athletes were supposed to use that would cool their palms during or between work outs, and that new research shows that cooling the palms rapidly cools the blood and aids in performance when heat is an issue. And so The views on top were clear and stunning. Mount Constance steals the show for sheer grandeur, but the views down into Silver Creek and Royal Basin invite future hikes. Mt. Rainier poked above some low clouds as did Baker. The Sound was spread out for survey. Take a great lunch and spend a few hours up top, which is what I did. The Phlox diffusa was truly stunning and filled the air with an intoxicating aroma of perfume. It was strong, and so lovely. The trail is clear, and though the climb sounds high on paper, it is never too steep and the views start early and keep calling you forward.