Mount Baldy

We read that the snow had melted off the Mount Baldy trail and the wildflowers were in bloom, so we headed to Easton to hike with a forecast of partially sunny with a 30% chance of rain.
The trail is 8 miles round trip with 3,000 ft of gain. We hiked up Mount Baldy, came down 1/2 mile due to weather conditions, then went up to the peak again for 9 miles and 3,340 ft of overall gain.
The Easton Ridge trailhead is not marked, but goes off to the right before the Kachess Ridge Trails. We crossed this bridge over Silver Creek by this waterfall.

It was cold and raining as we started hiking. On this cloudy day, the colors of the wildflowers seemed more vibrant. The trail climbs up a series of switchbacks in the forest for 1-1/2 miles.

At the trail junction, we turned left onto the Domerie Divide Trail and enjoyed a fairly flat section for about 1/2 miles

We had nice views with a rainbow between Lake Easton and Kachess Lake during this light rain storm.
















The next mile of trail is very steep, gaining 1,500 ft. We were glad there were lots of wildflowers in bloom to enjoy along this ascent.

There were a nice variety of wildflowers and the wind increased and it began to snow!

After the steep section, there is an unmarked junction, we turned right (onto the unsigned Dmoerie Peak Trail). As the snow had recently melted, we saw quite a few glacier lilies along the way.

Over the next mile of trail, we would lose 200 ft of elevation and then gain 300 ft going up Mount Baldy.
We had some cloudy views of Cle Ellum Lake below us.

The wind continued to blow the clouds around, the Ridgeline in front of us would appear and disappear. We could not see Mount Baldy.

In a mixture of rain, snow, sleet and hail, we made it up Mount Baldy in the clouds. We could not see the lakes below or any surrounding peaks. The wind became more intense and the temperature continued to drop. We decided to drop down the trail, find a sheltered spot and take a lunch break.

After our short lunch break, as we were heading down the trail, we stopped to take photos of a clearer Cle Ellum Lake below.

We looked back and saw, for the first time today, Mount Baldy with the clouds lifted. We headed back up Mount Baldy.

Although the surrounding peaks we still in the clouds, we had a clear view of Cle Ellum Lake to the northeast,

and Lake Easton and Kachess Lakes to the west.

We had some sun, rain and blue skies as we hiked back down the trail. View of Mount Baldy from the Domerie Divide Trail

Clear view of the south end of Kachess Lake.

short spur trail of Silver Creek and French Cabin West Peak in the distance.

















Another view of the waterfall on Silver Creek as we crossed the wooden bridge near the trailhead.











some of the wildflowers along the trail today: