[Elvis]

Met up with 8buck and D2K for a conga line type hike up Mount Si on Sunday 4/27/09. My sister, her husband and their dog, Rudy, met us at the trail head as well. Weather was partly cloudy and the temperature started out pretty comfortable, but we all started to shed layers as we began the constant elevation gain. This trail is pretty typical of many of the Cascade area trails, averaging just under 1,000 feet of vertical gain for every mile hiked. The summit of Mt. Si, referred to as "The Haystack", tops out at 4,167 feet. The parking lot is about 500 feet above sea level and the main trail is approx. 4 miles out and 4 miles back. This is not the place to hike if you are looking for solitude. The newlyweds & their dog led the way, lucky to have Rudy pull them up the hill... until they hit snow at about 3.25 miles.

The Group

Newlyweds and canine

The rest of us, all being older, took the Senior Citizen pace: slow and steady. After the 3 mile marker, spots of snow began to appear and shortly thereafter the trail was entirely covered with snow... well, ice really. The three of us stopped to put on our traction devices, which we brought along because we knew about the snow/ice conditions we would encounter. Minutes later, the newlyweds & their canine joined us as they had decided it was just too slick to continue in their shoes. 4-paw drive was helpful, but just not enough.

Icy Trail Conditions for the last .75 miles

30 minutes later we arrived at the summit basin. Here there are a couple of rock outcroppings to scramble up, carefully. The Haystack towered above us another couple hundred feet, but was engulfed in fog. We decided to call the trip a success and opted to not venture out toward Haystack this trip.

Haystack

Bird, hikers, Haystack summit

Found a nice high spot with grand views and some friendly Robber Jays who decided to join in our buffet.

Hey buddy...

Bird with a view

Got crumbs?

Eastward from Si Summit Basin

The temperature hovered around 42 degrees (F) but the continuous breeze quickly chilled our fingers. We all forgot to bring gloves... whoops! The descent went quite a bit faster and everyone's knees held up pretty well. Many people made it to the summit basin without additional traction on their feet, but on their descent they all had to go from tree to tree, hugging each one to avoid slipping on the ice. We were able to just step past them in confidence. Thumbs up to Yak Trax & Stabilicers. After the hike we stopped by the Starbucks in N. Bend for some caffeine and then drove into Issaquah to meet up with a long lost friend that we just located via facebook less than two weeks ago. Cheers Dude! All in all, it was a fantastic day of hiking & relaxing. I believe that my recent cardio workouts significantly boosted my ability to make this an enjoyable hike instead of an agonizing hike. Next hike date is currently up for negotiation. It may have to wait until sometime during Memorial Day weekend. Thanks for reading, and happy trails! ~E

[Oarboar]

Great trip report, Elvis. I still have fond memories of hiking to Lake Ann last September. (Although I don't know how fond they were on your end ... ) I have never climbed Mount Si. One of these days I will join the throngs, but first I'm going to get in better shape. Like you've done, apparently. Slipping and sliding down the mountain doesn't sound like fun, though. And that doesn't look like good conditions for a glissade, either. Good call on the traction.

[tigermn]

Sounds a bit warmer than it was Saturday morning, but surprisingly looks more cloudy/foggy in the basin. On Saturday I did bring gloves (light as they were) and my hands were still getting cold sitting around. Yea I saw the tree huggers coming down some of that upper part grabbing whatever they could. With microspikes though you can basically jog down if you want.

[Curtissimo]

good lookin' report, elvis. and i love your name! i should have named one of my babies that.

[Highwalker's Daughter]

Thanks for the conditions update!

[summithound]

Nice one Elvis. Looks like you had a fun and slippery hike. I'm jealous! I need to get out on the trails soon.

[Elvis]

Thanks for the comments everyone. It's nice to be on the trails again... the next hike can't be here soon enough.