Alpine Washington

It's mid December and the sunshine can be hard to come by this time of year. I decide to take advantage of a predicted 6-8 hour dry period to do some more reconnaissance work in the Middle Fork. It's a toss-up between the Marten Lake Trail and the Rainy Lake Trail. The former is shorter and about 800' less elevation gain, but I already hiked most of it on my recent Otter Falls hike . So, I decide the Rainy Lake Trail is my route today. I'm not optimistic about reaching the lake, which is at about 3800' of elevation, but I'm really curious if the trail is as difficult as I've read in a few trip reports. The entire hike and surrounding mountains are fully forested, so there is no avalanche danger in this area. The rain is supposed to arrive before 1:00 PM, so I get an early start (for me anyway!) at about 8:15 AM from the Middle Fork Trailhead. I cross over the Gateway Bridge and wonder at the immense volume of the Middle Fork Snoqualmie today - all...

Other than my hike at Mount Washington last week, all of my recent hikes have been on US Forest Service land. However, as fall is about to turn to winter, I decide to start exploring some of the front country trails, which are less subject to being snowed in. This day in December feels much more like spring than winter, with bright sunshine and warm temperatures, but nonetheless I choose a visit to Teneriffe Falls, and Jeannie agrees to tag along. This trail can be accessed via a brand-new trailhead and parking area completed in 2017, just past the Mount Si trailhead. This isn't expected to be a difficult hike, and the trail from the parking lot is a nice walk through the woods. It joins an old logging road after half a mile or so, and gradually ascends up the foot of Mount Teneriffe. Teneriffe is the mountain directly east of Mount Si, and can be easily seen from I-90 driving past North Bend. Teneriffe Falls is about halfway up the side of the mounta...

The Alpine Lakes are all snowed in, and avalanche danger is possible in the high country, so I've continued my search for other hikes that are closer to home, or to sea level. Today's goal is to summit Mount Washington, which is just outside of North Bend and across I-90 from the ever-popular Mailbox Peak. Apart from the fact that I've never done it, I've chosen Washington mainly because I know it's less crowded than other hikes in the area. We shall see if that turns out to be true. I hop in the car after a rather lazy start to Sunday morning, and arrive at Olallie State Park and the trailhead at about 11:30. After a brief walk on the Palouse to Cascades Trail (formerly known as the Iron Horse Trail), the Mount Washington trail veers uphill and gets down to business. It starts out steep and rocky, and I think rocks may be a theme today. Before long, I pass a magnificent cave someone has labeled on Gaia as "Club Paradiso". As I hike by, two people ar...