Little Mount Si

The last time we were hiking almost 2 weeks ago on Mt. Rainier, the 2 days were the only 2 cloudy days out of a fabulous summer of blue skies before and after. Today was the only "free" day we had this week and I wanted one more trip to the mountains. Yesterday was lovely. Today as H and I walked out our front door, there was "mist" in the air and total cloud cover! No matter. We were also distracted by some work being done on the condo as we left and forgot our walking sticks! No matter.

This is Little Mt. Si. It's overshadowed by its neighbor Mount Si, which is higher - 2 peaks next to each other about 40 minutes away in the Cascade foothills. Today the top of Mt. Si was in a cloud and there would have been no view at all. Only one of the reasons we opted for Little Mt. Si (the other is that it is much shorter and 1/3 the elevation gain! ) Only we didn't get there this way! :-) We took the (very rocky) trail which winds around to get to the top. It is a very popular spot for rock climbers, with better walls than Mt. Si itself. The view from the top is of the Snoqualmie Valley, today with lots of clouds (hard to distinguish from smoke which I'm sure was present also from nearby wildfires..) The forest is thick and lush and green, and the air smells great. It only dripped a small amount. We managed without our sticks. :-) and treated ourselves to coffee and pie afterwards at the Twede Cafe in North Bend (of Twin Peaks fame, for those who remember this TV series). An excellent day! Thanks H for indulging me!

It can rain in earnest now. It's Fall. We're ready.