The trail starts out steeply and winds its way through a snow-covered forest as it rises above Silver Creek on our right. We have the trail to ourselves, and don’t see another person all day. The quiet is only broken by our own footsteps and here and there we can hear the sound of Silver Creek roaring through the gorge below.
The hike has areas of steep climb and flatter grade, it runs through old growth forests, open areas, and along and over the water. The final half mile follows a uniform grade all the way to the top. Standing on the ridgetop, we can see Lake Easton and Kachess Lake stretching out in a gorgeous blue below us. And off in the distance, yes, the snow covered peak of Mt. Rainier. We all agree, that view alone is worth every step. We take a long moment to soak it all in. Finally, we find a place to sit, break out our lunches, and take turns pointing out the mountain we would like to hike next. Snow or no snow, any of them will do.
One final note, as we found out, snow makes it difficult to spot the official trail in some places and cell phone coverage is spotty at best. Make sure to plan ahead and bring a map to reference.