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Found a break in the rain to enjoy some time in the woods. There are a few patches of mud but nothing terrible. The only terrible thing was the stench from the toilet wafting down the trail as you reach the true top of PPP! Felt like the trail name was quite fitting today :P
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Brought the baby. She got mad 3/4mi from the top. So we turned back.
Highly advised to bring micro spikes there are some icy patches I wouldn't try crossing without them.
It all starts to get icy right before the first little bridge.
There was no parking at the little trailhead parking lot so we parked at the high school and went over.
Overall the trail is in great shape. All the blow downs have been taken care of
Got to the trailhead around 7:30. There was some snow up to the actual entrance that wasn’t that bad, a dusting. There was icy snow the last quarter mile that wasn’t slick in parts. I had poles so it was manageable but I wished I had my crampons (could not find them for the life of me when packing this morning). Some of the slicker spots actually seemed to have melted by my way back down. When I was almost finished it started snowing but they were big soft flakes, I am not sure they would stick.
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Rating: 4 of 5 stars (for an off-season hike)
My opinions: This was a fun “beginning or end of the season” hike. This trail was very crowded, but not as much as I thought the crowds would be for a beautiful, sunny day.
It was a nice hike and we could see for miles at the top. The south side field overlooks Mt Rainier. Poo Poo Point overlooks Mt Baker, Bellevue, etc.
Although the temperature was about 37 degrees, we were not cold until we stopped at the top for a while.
This is the first time I have not seen the people jump off the mountain—and paraglide, floating down. It’s also fun watching them land on the bottom (which you cannot see from the high school parking area).
I wonder if it’s because there weren’t any buses and SUVs driving people up and down.
NOTE: This hike started from Poo Poo Point Trailhead (Chirico Trail). You can also start from the Issaquah High School, which is easier on your knees, although about a mile longer. I recommend trying both ways…
Snow: None.
Trail conditions: Great overall. Sometimes muddy, but not bad.
Bugs: None.
Time: This trail took us (one 66 and one 46-years-olds) 2 hours to the top and 1.5 hours down with about 30 minutes at the top, enjoying the views.
Views: Nice views of Mt Rainier at the South Launch Site, which is about .2 miles from Poo Poo Point. You could see Mt Baker and the Olympics from Poo Poo Point.
Parking & Road Conditions: No problem getting to the parking lot. The lot was full at 12:30 pm, so we drove to the $10 parking lot across the street (and north) of parking lot. Bring a pen and $10 in cash if you don’t have Venmo.
Dog Owners: Please pick up yours and other poo bags! We saw 5 or 6 doggie poo bags along the trail. I love your dogs, but not their poo! Dog owners, if you ever left a poo bag, then pick up all the poo bags. We don’t want this hike to be called poo poo because of all the poo poo left on the trail.