So it was that on a clear day Pam, Christy and I headed up from the lower trailhead towards the summit. The lower part of the trail is a fantastic, old growth forest that is worth the additional 3.2 miles round-trip. We made our way to the junction with the upper trailhead in no time and found a trail etching telling up that Chris was ahead on the trail somewhere.
From the junction the trail becomes steep, and at 4200 feet the snow began to be an issue. We plodded along as the view began to reveal itself with great overlooks. As we neared the top of a steep section of snow we saw Chris heading our way. He had heard about the Mountain Goats at the summit and chose not to get too close.
Since we were following a group with a dog we figured the goats would relocate once the dog drew near so we headed up. The views from the summit are 360 degrees of pure glory with the Olympics on one side and the Cascades on the other. We had clear views of Mt Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt Rainier, Mt Olympus and plenty of other lesser peaks in the Olympics. Mt Adams and Mt St Helen were obscured by the mist on the horizon.
We spent some well deserved summit time before heading back down. The famed glissade chute was not in shape because of the lack of snow, but we were able to get in one glissade long enough to have some fun and bruise my tailbone a little.
On the steep section where we first ran into Chris I slipped and tried to use my trekking poles to self arrest which only served to snap one of the poles. I flipped and did a proper self arrest and then made my way down and was able to get enough of the pole together to aid in my descent, but new parts were necessary for any future use.
We arrived back at the car after 6.3 miles and 3283 feet of elevation gain. We were in one piece - more or less- and ready for some grub at El Puerto de Angeles IV in Hoodsport. This is a hike to aspire to. It is difficult, but the payoff is tremendous.
Be very well and more soon.....
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