Early bird gets the Bean ... well, not so early for us. We had a later start than usual and then got stuck in the tail end of a rock blasting closure at Snoqualmie Pass. In the end we finally arrived at the trailhead at 11 am. As we set out a large group from the Everett Parks was also gearing up.
We made quick time to the Bean Creek crossing and rock hopped easily across the low water. Then a nice snow-free walk up to the ridgeline on Earl. Gray clouds were starting to build but views were still good and winds low. We had a nice lunch on the top of Earl and were happy to find a register - which I had not been able to find my last visit. As we were departing we also met Blue, the dog whose owner was killed in an avalanche earlier this spring, and his new owner.
The ridgewalk across to Bean took longer than I'd remembered but was just as fun. Nearly snow free too. After a nice scramble up to Bean we enjoyed our summit beer and jelly beans to celebrate the start of summer. Clouds parted and it was a very pleasant and warm day. We descended off Bean mostly without issue, just a few slips and scrapes, and everyone more or less intact. We stayed high in the meadows through Bean Creek basin and eventually were able to pick up the trail without too much meadow stomping.
The whole area is pretty much snow free now. Still a little early for flowers but plenty of shooting stars out now.
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