Mount Washington (Snoqualmie)

Since it's June and there's plenty of daylight hours, I opted to start this hike in the late afternoon as the sun was on its way down and the crowds thinned. I started around 4pm and reached the top around 6pm, maintaining a steady pace although it was hot and the trail is pretty steep at a few parts. This was my first time doing this trail and I enjoyed seeing the rock caves and cliffs, which were trickling with refreshing water. There's one place that resembles an outdoor shower, where you can stand under a light trickle of water and take a little shower on a hot day. There's also a place where water gushes out a hole in the rock just like a water faucet left on. At one of the bends in the trail there's a stone bench facing west which would be a great place to watch the sunset. And near the top there are a few peaceful boulder fields with nice views across the mountain that would be a nice place to hang out too. Thimbleberry and some huckleberry are present. But this hike is all about getting to the top! Up there you're rewarded with a view of Mount Rainier right in your face and you can gaze down into the Cedar River Watershed at Chester Morse Lake, where millions of people in the Seattle area get their drinking water from. The sun was in my eyes and it was hazy, but I could also make out Puget Sound and the Olympics in the distance. I didn't want to come back down, but right before I descended I met a guy on his way up who turned out to be a really interesting conversationalist- he defined himself as a "purebred" Czechoslovakian", and he shared his delicious homemade sprouted grain flatbread with me as well as great stories of his family and life. We hiked and talked together most of the way back down. This was a memorable hike!