What fun to live in a part of the world where you can climb a mountain to bask in the sun and warm temps. The guidebook was right, Mount Washington is a good alternative to Mt Si with much more rewarding views.

One more trek to make another offering to the football gods the day before the Super Bowl. Today it was to stake a 12th Man Flag on the summit of Mount Washington. I arrived at the parking lot, home to only one other car, around 7:40am and was on the trail by 7:50am. There were a couple small blowdowns (easy to step over) and a little mud in places but otherwise the trail was pretty clear (but pretty rocky in spots). There was no snow to speak of but there was some frost in the higher elevations in the morning. I only stopped a couple times for photos and to remove my jacket on the way up and arrived at the summit around 9:50am. I made my offering, took some photos, and drank some hot chocolate before heading down around 10:15am. Since it was still so early I decided to lengthen my hike and take the longer Great Wall route back but what I actually did was super size my hike and wonder around a maze of old logging roads for a while first. The Great Wall route branches from the main trail shortly below the summit and heads straight towards Mt. Rainier (south) when the main trail bends to the left. It drops pretty steeply to an old logging road and continues south before veering east. Around 0.7 miles from the summit the route takes sharp turn to the northwest while the road continues straight. There is no signage indicating which path to take other than an arrow someone made out of branches on the road. Disregarding the “arrow” I continued straight until the road forked and presented me with two new choices. I selected the uphill route (left) over the downhill route (right). It continued up a small hill and forked again. I turned left and followed the now defunct road until it ended at a small peak (peak 4264’). It was pretty secluded but there was an old fire pit someone set up who knows when. It turned out to be a good location to practice compass bearings as there were good views of Mount Washington to the northwest, Mailbox Peak to the northeast, and McClellan Butte to the southeast. After eating lunch, I retraced my route towards the Great Wall route. Before I made it to the fork, I ran into a couple hikers who made a wrong turn coming up from the Great Wall route and were following the road down where I was adventuring so I turned them around to the Mount Washington summit. This time when I arrived at the fork with the “arrow” on the road, I followed the “arrow.” The Great Wall route offers some side options along the way if you’re up for some exploring, but pay attention where you turn off so you can find your way back! The entire hike was pretty peaceful up until when the trail reconnected to the main trail. Prior to that I only saw a handful of people the entire day but after that I started seeing A LOT of “hikers.” I passed a few heading down and many more heading up though I don’t know where to as it was already 2:30pm at that point and most of them didn’t look prepared for hiking in the dark. I made it back to the parking lot at 3:00pm, which was completely full with cars along the side of the road. The total trip took a little over seven hours and covered 12.9 miles, including my side trip, which was two and half hours and 3 miles of that. I think I'm going to have to spend some more time exploring the less traveled area I wondered into today.

My first hike to Mt WA. We started around 10AM. It took 3.5 hours to go the summit. We took several breaks and went slow. Coming down was about 2 hours. Day was bright and clear, it was amazingly enjoyable 50F weather here. We got clear and full view of Mt Rainier. Didn't know view is so great from this point. Trail was in good condition, with a few muddy and frost covered sections. Trail shoes recommended. Finding out trail head was confusing. There is absolutely no trail head marker. Here is a short hint. Once you walk uphill to Iron Horse Trail junction, turn right, go about 200 steps. A narrow trail entry will be on your left. Check google map for coords : 47.442, -121.678. I have a trail entrance photo posted here as well. There will be 2 forks as you go up, but both are marked with Mt WA sign.

Today was my first time hiking Mt. WA, and I have to say it's one of the most beautiful treks I've made along I-90. This is a moderately steep and rocky trail, but the effort is worth the reward. Trail shoes are a must, as we had to maneuver through muddy areas and over water at times (we picked up a big stick to use for the crossings). Snow was not an issue today. The waterfalls along the way were a pleasant surprise, as was the greeting we received from Mt. Rainier when we reached the summit. Pack a picnic and a small blanket! The grassy fields and stunning views offer a relaxing place to rest before heading back down the mountain.

This was my first hike to the summit of Mt. Washington. IN JANUARY!! The trail was virtually snow-free. The summit had no snow at all. Great for hiking in January. But scary for water supply and wildfire hazards next summer. There are numerous wet places in the trail. Areas with sharp, angular rocks too. Tennis shoes aren't the best choice for this trail.