|
HIKE |
Mt Si |
|
ROUTE |
Old school, old route (read: straight up!) |
|
DATE |
04/20/2006 |
|
ATTENDEES |
Beta Chris (or Magnum), Craig, Drew, Joan, Kris, newbie Jen, Larry, Mark, and Russ. |
|
NOTES |
Haystack! |
PHOTOS
TRAIL REPORT
Hello, TNAB'ers:
It's just the third hike of the season, and we're starting to hit our stride! After two warm-ups, it was time for the TNAB benchmark - Mt Si.
The weather was a mystery all day Thursday. It was warm, easily mid-60's, but the forecast was for evening showers. Undaunted, nine of us showed up for the event, even as the clouds were closing ranks: Beta Chris (or Magnum), Craig, Drew, Joan, Kris (with a K!), newbie Jen (won't even try to spell that one right), Larry, Mark, and Russ. Once again, awesome turnout!
By 5:50 PM we were attacking the old Mt Si trail (which spurs off the legit Little Si trail). Soon we were shedding our winter layers - it felt downright muggy! The hike was progressing normally, but at the one hour mark, two of our comrades, Russ and Chris, had to turn back for separate reasons. Russ was suffering the effects of a recent ski injury, while Chris' boots were making his feet look like hamburger. Live to hike another day, amigos!
The rest of us trudged on up the overly-familiar switchbacks. Like Tiger, Si suffers from being too popular with the masses. Still, both mountains are worthy destinations in their own right. The payoff on Si is when you finally clear the woods and gain the subsummit rocks, look around, and drink in to views. Despite the increasing cloud cover, we enjoyed a nice west-east sweep from Puget Sound to Snoqualmie Pass.
But of course, Larry was already on the Haystack. We must join him! In total, five of us clamored up the Haystack. The patchy snow cover was not an issue, and the rock was mostly dry. Shortly after 8:00 PM, it was time to head back - it could rain any second. Sure enough, our descent was follow by a brief sprinkle of precip. Time to head home!
Back in the forest, it wasn't long until we broke out the headlamps - ambient light was in short supply. However, we were spared from the impending rain - woo hoo! (We wouldn't encounter the rain until we reached Hwy 18 on the way home). A little after 10:00 PM, we all stumbled back to the parking lot by the bridge, where Craig treated us to Scuttlebutt Amber Ale. Hoo Haw!
Congrats to Kris - you're now a TNAB veteran!
Next Hike: Mailbox! Can this season get any better? :)
Cheers!
-Mark