Ron’s Hike for Discovery Weblog

After three weeks of no hiking, it was great to get back out on the trail today! And what a time we had on the trail too! Today’s adventure was on the Rattlesnake Mountain Trail, across Interstate 90 and directly south of North Bend and Mount Si. Rattlesnake Lake lies on the eastern end of the ridge. The trailhead is Snoqualmie Point on the western end of the ridge, 10.5 miles from the lake. Today’s goal was not to hike all the way to the lake, but 4.2 miles to Grand Prospect – a viewpoint with a spectacular view to the north of Mount Si, Mount Baker , North Bend, and the Cascade mountain range.

After four progressively longer and more difficult hikes, our hike leaders, Craig and Jill, decided that it was time to split us up into two groups – fast hikers, and not-so-fast hikers. The plan was that the fast hikers would start first, and not stop at Grand Prospect but continue another 1.9 miles to East Peak for lunch, then hike back to the trailhead. The not-so-fast hikers would start last, enjoy lunch at Grand Prospect, then return to the trailhead. Theoretically both groups would arrive back at the trailhead at approximately the same time. I joined 10 others in the fast hiker group.

Jill was the hike leader for the fast group and set a nice quick pace. We made it to Grand Prospect in about just under two hours, took a nice water and snack break, and enjoyed the magnificent scenery. Be sure to check out the pictures below! Jill is a mountain climber, and I mentioned to her that I am currently reading “Seven Summits” the story of the first climbers to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents. She told me that Phil Ershler, one of major participants in the group that conquered all seven summits, was a good friend of hers! Pretty cool!

After our break we headed on to East Peak and arrived about an hour later. It was wonderful to drop the pack and sit for a spell and get refreshed. East Peak afforded more breathtaking views of Mount Si, but what really knocked me out was the fantastic view of Mount Rainier to the south! In fact, I walked up a little road that lead to a cell phone tower, and found a gap between some trees that framed the mountain perfectly for a great picture. I dashed back to the group and invited everyone with cameras up to snap some shots before we left.

The weather today was temps in the 70’s with brilliant sunshine – absolutely perfect for hiking! This hike was a perfect blend of both open spaces with lots of sunshine and lots of time spent in the cool shade of the woods. The trail started up through some meadows and clearcut areas for a couple of miles, and the rest of the way the trail wound though old growth forests. We kept an eye out for deer, but the only wildlife to make an appearance today were a few banana slugs, a swallowtail butterfly, and a grumpy old frog.

The trailhead at Snoqualmie Point is at 980 feet. East Peak is at an elevation of 3527 feet, so we had a net elevation gain for the day of 2547 feet. Total distance hiked was 12.2 miles! Whooee!! That’s a good days work for anybody! Our group of fast hikers made it back to the trailhead about a half an hour later than the not-so-fast hikers.

Next Saturday, we’ll start on the east side of the ridge at Rattlesnake Lake, and hike up to Rattlesnake Ledge and on to East Peak. From what I understand the trail is quite steep with a lot of elevation gain in a short distance, so it should be fun!

Great news on the fundraising front! Since the last hike, donations have passed the $2000 mark!! That is fantastic and all I can say is “THANK YOU!” from the bottom of my heart to all who have donated. If you have not donated and would like to, click on the Donate page and link to my Hike for Discovery website.