I enjoyed a gorgeous day on Mt. Washington, with balmy, springlike weather prevailing even on top. Hazy clouds obscured Mt. Rainier, but otherwise the vista from the top of the mountain was impressive in every direction. The trail to the mountain was still snowy as previous reports indicated. However, heavy use on Saturday along with warm temperatures has resulted in a packed-down trail all the way to the top. No postholing required. The snow route mostly kept to the path of the summer trail, but there was one short fall-line climb up a steep open slope that may present an avalanche danger in some conditions. I used snowshoes, even though they hardly seemed necessary. Without showshoes, I would recommend using boot traction aids to maintain grip on the sometime steep trail. Slushy snow began right at the start of the trail and steadily increased with elevation. The snowpack at the first Washington Creek crossing (elev. 2800') was impressive, about 5 feet deep. It's going to be months before the trail melts out.

There was a lot of snow on the trail. I'd definitely suggest bringing snowshoes to increase your chances of summit. Couple of people in our group didn't have snowshoes and they had to turn back since it was getting very difficult to continue with postholing. Gaiters would be highly recommended, traction I'd say optional - but good if you have it. Keep and eye for the unmarked trail from the Iron Horse trail - you should be able to see a clear boot path. Once on the right trail, there is a well beaten footpath that you can follow. At the Grand Wall junction stay on the mt Washington trail (right fork). There is a steep section just before the summit - after you cross the pond area. It's a fairly difficult hike - but the views are well worth it!

A quick update on conditions before the nice weekend... Lots of new snow on the trail, starting at the parking lot. I did not bring snow shoes and made it to the Owl spot before giving in to the inevitable...about 10 inches of new snow at that point and enough old snow to sink to the waist if stepping off the packed tread. The new snow made it hard to stay in the tread, but that should be better tomorrow as there were a few of us packing it down to the Owl spot. A guy with snow shoes went a little further up, but if you plan on going to the pond or beyond, you will probably be breaking new snow so bring the big feet. Gaiters a must, traction a maybe.

Started from the TH about 8:45 with only a couple other cars in the lot. Overcast and light rain. Almost missed the turnoff from the Iron Horse trail. There was a dusting of snow on the trail almost from the very beginning. That soon turned in to a whole lot of snow after less than a mile. Kind folks on snowshoes had tramped a very good trail in the snow the day or two before. We didn't need any sort of traction (just good solid boots) all the way up following the established track. Minimal post-holing, usually only when stepping off to the side. Trail may get icy depending on temperatures. A good number of other people came up after us (20-30) and the trail started getting slick. Lots of cars in the lot when we got back down. No views today! A couple trees down on the trail but nothing major. Easy enough for the shorter folks to duck under or the taller folks to step over.

The Mt. Wa. trail is slowly melting out. Snow now begins just before the Owl Hike vista and rapidly deepens beyond. There is about 2 - 3 feet of snow at the Washington Creek crossing and 4 feet in the basin around the pond. However, hikers have compacted a solid trench all the way to the top of Mt. Wa., and snowshoes are not really necessary. You might bring some along if you want to leave the trench and do side trips. The weather was foggy and cloudy until we arrived at the top of the peak, which was just slightly above the top of the clouds. A bright, late winter sun occasionally beamed through the mist and warmed us up while we ate lunch. Even Mount Rainier made an appearance to the south, before the mist rolled back in. The lower portion of the trail was rocky and rough as usual, but improvements must wait until the issue with the square mile tract of private property that the trail crosses is resolved (probably by purchase of the property by the FS or DNR).