Round-Trip Distance: 10 miles, Elevation Gain: 3,200 ft High Point: 4,385 ft The weather forecasters really misled us this weekend in predicting the usual Seattle area rains. However, they were very wrong and we had some great hiking weather. There was no rain, and the temperature tied the record high for this date in Seattle of 61 degrees. So, I managed to plan something late Sunday morning. We drove to Exit 38 off of I-90 for a trip to Mt Washington. The trail was in great shape. There were only a couple blow-downs that were easy to pass. Some garter snakes were observed along the trail as well as some dead black furry creature with big teeth. We couldn’t identify it as it had been mostly eaten, but it sure didn’t look like a squirrel or a rabbit. Maybe a skunk or weasel' We passed an opening in the trees with a view that had a sign up saying ""Owl Place"", but we didn’t see any owls. This hike has a lot of nice views. It has much better views than any nearby hikes such as Mt Si, or Mailbox Peak. 7 people were seen on this hike. We left the trailhead a little after 10 AM. We kept a quick pace, and the summit was attained at 1:00PM. Returned to the trailhead at 3:30PM. Here’s a summary of nearby peaks seen: no snow on Si, Teneriffe, Green, Mailbox, or Bandera, a little snow on: Defiance, Granite, Silver Pk, and McClellan Butte. No snow on Mt Washington either. My other hiking partners went to the summit, while I explored the logging road heading east from the high ridge. This led to great, unobstructed views of Mt Rainier and Chester Morse Lake. The lake’s water level was a little low since it’s fall, but it is still pretty. I’ve made a correction to my original distance estimate with the help of ""TOPO!"" software. I think 10 miles is more accurate for the round trip. The hike is explained in more detail in my June ’99 report. The route can be seen at: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Gorge/4424/hikes.html

This trip report is for the Mt Washington off of I-90 and not the one on the Olympic Peninsula. Although it drizzled a bit now and then, this was a great hike. I recommend it to more experienced hikers. I chose the ""roundabout"" route and was happy I had done so. The short cut route is only for those willing to do a fair amount of bushwhacking. Not a single other person was seen on this entire hike. The views were many and quite nice. It is not the most ""natural"" of hikes because the area has been logged, but you can still appreciate the land itself. Many familiar peaks could be seen. At the top there is a small weather station. On the high ridge road bordering the Cedar River Watershed, I saw bear prints in the snow. They were probably not more than a day old. The tracks headed toward Mt Washington, but I didn’t see any bears. The forest is pretty dense to the north of the road, so almost anything could have been hiding in it. I also saw bear scat a couple other places. Animals that were seen: a brown rabbit, a couple of chipmunks, a humming bird, and many banana slugs. Lots of evidence of burrowing animals in the meadow near the summit. Many wildflowers too. Take Exit 38 off of I-90 and go south. Turn right at the first opportunity. You’ll see a sign indicating a toilet. Drive a short distance to the trailhead. You ascend a trail that then joins a road. A short while later the road joins the Iron Horse Trail (an old railroad bed). Walk west on the Iron Horse Trail and keep an eye out for the first real trail to your left. There is no sign, but it is an obvious trail. You will dip down into a small ditch and then go back up again. This trail will take you by several rocky outcroppings. Some have nice overhanging rock that you can get under to stay out of the rain. One of the overhangs is quite large and has a bunch of climbing bolts on it. You cross a tiny creek a few times. After hiking for a while, you come to a fork. Go right at the fork where there is an arrow cut into a tree and it says ""HIKE"". There is also another arrow pointing left where it says ""BOB"". (I don’t know why Bob needs permanent directions.) The trail is a little rocky in places, but overall it’s pretty nice. Hike some more and you will come to a fork right before a crossing of Washington Creek. Washington creek is bigger than the one you just crossed a few times earlier, but it is still very easy to cross (just a jump). It may dry to a trickle by late summer. At this point you can decide to take a shortcut or the roundabout route. When you are at the creek you can see ""Camel Rocks"" above to the west of you. I didn’t take the shortcut, but it seems like your best approach would be to scramble up the slippery rocks and bushwhack your way to Camel Rocks. From there you can cross the ridge, dip down a bit, walk on a trail, and then head straight up the mountain. Right before you get to Washington Creek, there is an arrow on a tree that says ""BN"" under it. I’m not sure what BN means, but follow it and it will take you on the roundabout route. The route is much longer, but it is not steep and there is almost no bushwhacking. There were a few small sections on this trail where snow was encountered. However, the snow is mostly flat and presents no hazards. The summit was snow free with nice places to sit. A little while after being on the roundabout route, you enter an area with young alders bowed over by the snow. Many were cut at from 2 ft – 5 ft off the ground. Be careful you don’t get poked somewhere you don’t want. This is as bad as the trail gets. Later you come to a logging trail. Keep following it up and to the east. You will see some stone arrows that you can follow. This takes you up and around Mt Washington’s eastern neighbor peak and brings you to what has been called the ""Great Wall"". This is really cool. It is a ridge that has been plowed flat into a road with a steep drop off on either side. There is a pond down below to the East (I call it ""Right Triangle Pond"" and a couple ponds down below to the West. When you reach the main ridge, head right for some flat walking on a logging road until the road forks. You can head straight up to the summit between the forks. R.T. Distance: roundabout route: 14 miles, short cut: 6 miles, Elevation gain: 3,200 ft, Summit elevation: 4,400 ft

The views from the top of Mt. Washington are just great. You can see the interior of the Olympic Range, Hood Canal, Mt Rainier, and much more. However, the rewards don't come easy. We took the ""easy way up"", Route 1A. This is really only a hike but it is very steep, 3200 ft of elevation gain in about 2 miles. The trail begins at the first curve past the turnoff of the upper Mt. Elinor trailhead. It starts off very steep and pretty much maintains that until you get to the top. There is a nice plateau halfway up that you can camp at. There was no water there at this time and no water anywhere along the trail. From this meadow you go straight up to the face and then bear left just below the wall. There is an obvious trail that leads you up steeply onto a high plateau. Just below the peak it gets a little airy and for those afraid of heights this could be a problem. The final little bit is a very easy scramble getting you onto a small rocky summit big enough for about 5 people. No climbing equipment is needed for this route, just sturdy hiking boots and your usual hiking gear. I would not recommend this hike for kids or anyone afraid of heights or for those not in good condition. Although it is a hike, it is very steep, requires the use of hands in places, and personally would have a hard time watching my kids go across a ledge that drops off precipitously. Mt. Elinor would be a much better choice if any of the above is an issue.

Rain greeted Matt, Karen, Mark and myself at the Twin Falls trailhead at 8:30, keeping innocuous until its cessation at 11. Trail is in good shape except for a couple blow downs that cause shorter people (like me) to limbo and taller people (like Matt) to hop over. No views at traditional view points. Although West side of mountain was green, the trail side was a winter wonderland. Trail turns into a creek for a stretch, before disappearing under the snow. The ""shortcut"" was melted enough that the devils club looked most uninviting, so the ""long way"" (following miles of logging roads) we went- around the whole mountain that is. This gave time for the clouds to burn off, and gave us a chance to traverse the Great Wall. One side had sun, one side had clouds, one side had wind. Great views of the I-90 peaks on top. Coming down, we saw two folks braving the shortcut, and later tried to discern the 'camel' in the rocks that bear the name. Snow line up to 3200 ft on way out, receding fast. Round trip approx. 12 miles. Underwear of day: Hot Chili's.

The weather looked unpleasant at 4:00 Saturday morning, but several of us headed down to the ferry docks for the early Bremerton ferry anyway. Once over on the Olympic peninsula, the weather just kept getting nicer, until we were in the middle of blue skies and sunshine. The goal was Mt. Washington via climbing route 1A, but the weather was too nice! There was 8-10 inches of new snow over an icy slab, and all that solar energy was causing spontaneous slab releases all over the mountain. We found a comfy and safe little plateau at about 5000' to hang out on and watch the mountain slough its new coat, then headed back down to the cars. The road (Big Creek) is clear to the Mt. Ellinor trailhead - we parked there and walked the last 2 miles to the start of the climbing route. Once snow conditions consolidate a bit, this route will be in great shape.