Kendall Katwalk

Today had the best weather forecast for the week, so we decided to hike up to Kendall Katwalk along a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail at Snoqualmie Pass. I had not been before and heard it was a beautiful hike. This is 12 miles round trip with 2,600 ft gain.
The first part of the trail is a nice gentle walk in the forest, we saw so many fungi here!

Even in the forest, there was some nice fall colors.

About 2 miles from the trailhead, the trail enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and opens up, crossing a talus field. Here there were pika and nice views of nearby peaks.

We saw a waterfall along the way,

which spilled down over the trail in a couple of places,

having us carefully watching how we crossed.

A switchback let us know, the trail was beginning to climb upward. Here we would cross another small cascade.

The morning sun lit up the fall foliage.

We could see the higher talus field up above, which the trail crosses on its way to the Katwalk in another 2+ miles.

Pano view from the upper talus field looking south. We could see Mt Rainier in the distance. We sat here and enjoyed the view!

AS the trail continued to climb, we enjoyed the switch backs through the fall foliage, ripe huckleberries, and the view changing from the local peaks to the west

and Mt Rainier to the south.

The trail took us near Red Mountain, and became quite frosty and icy as it rose.

The final 1-1/2 miles of trail is on a western exposure, here we found snow and ice. It felt like we turned the corner from Fall to Winter.
















Close to Kendall Katwalk, there is an opening where you can stop and enjoy the view of the peaks to the east.

View from the south side of Kendall Katwalk

Pano part way along Kendall Katwalk:

Another pano, Mt Stuart can be seen far in the distance.

We walked the length of Kendall Katwalk, found a spot to sit and enjoy the views before heading back down the trail.

Some of the fall foliage, berries, and fungi we saw along the trail: