Mt Si

 Hiked up to Mt Si this morning near North Bend. 8 miles round trip with 3,200 ft of gain.
Started in the dark and  was the first person up to the top.
The sun rose while I was still in the forest.

 Light snow on the ground from about 3,000 ft.

 A bit deeper snow from 3,300 ft up.

 About 3.5 miles from the trailhead, there is a little view, I was glad to see the sun was out.

 Some icicles on this boulder.

 View to the east from the bottom of the boulders.\

View to the south from the boulders, Mt Rainier in the distance.

There was about 6" of snow in the boulders, but it was easy to tell where the trail was under the snow.

More icicles on this large boulder.

The Haystack on Mt Si

View to the west from the Snoqualmie Valley Overlook

 Another view of Mt Rainier from the Boulders as I hiked back down.

 As I continued down the trail, it was nice to see the sunlight through the trees.

 Back below snow level.

Mt Si

 We drove up to North Bend this morning to hike up to the "Lunch Rocks" on Mt Is. This is about 7 miles round trip with 3,200 ft of gain. The Lunch Rocks are located about 1/4 mile after the junction with the old Si trail.  The snow/slush/ice was pretty consistent after about 1/2 mile. We were glad we brought and wore our micro spikes.

 A little dark as we began hiking up, using our headlamps to light the way.

 Lots of beautiful trees all along the trail.

 View of the Cascades to the southeast from the Lunch Rocks












We went up the Lunch Rocks for a little better view.

 We could see Mt Rainier to the south
We took a break here and had the area to ourselves. We would see many hikers headed up as we hiked back down.

close up of Mt Rainier

Mt Si

Drove up to North Bend to do a good conditioning hike when the avy risk was considerable. This is an 8 mile round trip hike with 3,150 ft of elevation gain.
The trail starts in the forest and soon begins climbing up switchbacks.

 We encountered icy snow on the trail at about 1,600 ft of altitude and decided to wear microspikes to avoid slipping.

 About 1 to 1-1/2 miles further up the trail, the fresh snow was deep enough that we didn't need microspikes. The snow wasn't so deep that we wanted to use snowshoes.

 Closer to the top the trees were covered in both snow and frost.

 About 1/4 mile from the end of the trail is an open area with large boulders in a talus slope. We stopped here for a lunch break before continuing up. It was very cloudy when we arrived here.

 Many people stop here in the winter. so there are many squirrels and

 gray jays hanging out.

 We felt comfortable continuing on through the boulders as it was not icy today.

















We then hiked up to the end of the trail. Only one hiker had gone before us this morning, so we did a bit of post holing.

While we were up at the end of the trail, the clouds began to part and we had a partial view of North Bend far below.

The sun broke out of the clouds, to brighten the area around us.

 View of the Haystack atop of Mt Si

So pretty hiking in fresh snow.














There war some low views on the other side as we hiked back down.

Mt Si Spring Hike

 Our second hike of the day in the North Bend area was Mt Si. An 8 mile round trip hike with 3,150 ft of elevation gain.
Most of the hike is in the forest, with a few wildflowers in bloom.

There are areas where the sun breaks through the tree cover. I like how this huckleberry bush was lit up.

Today was my third time up Mt Si, and the first time to see the views! Looking to the east and south.

 Concrete has been poured over some of the rocks to create steps continuing up Mt Si.

I love how these large boulders on Mt Si frame Mt Rainier to the south!

 Continuing up to the base of the Haystack.

View of North Bend below Mt Si to the west. In the far distance: Seattle, Bellevue and the Olympic Mountains

Some of the wildflowers and fungi on the trail today:

Mt Si

 I joined a friend to celebrate her 101st hike of the year by going up Mt Si in North Bend. We probably hiked about 1/2 way up before finding the trail slippery and using our microspikes.

 I enjoyed the dusting of snow over the forest.

 The trail wasn't crowded today, and the snow made the forest quiet.

 Along the way, there is a parting in the trees and we could see down into the valley below.

I enjoy forest walks. Lots of interesting textures, highlighted by the snow.

Icicles dripping off old logs.

These little snowmen seemed to be wishing us a Happy New Year!

Very limited visibility on top.

 The rocks were easier to climb with the snow on them.

Even without a view, the snow created a lovely landscape. (pano)

 There were lots of gray jays flying around.