At over 2 hours, the drive there from Seattle was a long one. Not to mention I have the worst sense of direction of anyone I know and managed to get quickly turned around on the logging roads leading to the trail head.
It became quickly apparent as we got further into the mountains that the Cascade mountain views advertised on online message boards was probably not going to happen. In fact, we were so socked in by clouds that I was pretty sure we weren't going to see anything beyond the immediate trail.
road to the trail
Camas coming up for spring
the forest becomes foggy soon after we start the hike
Although the vistas never appeared, it was a fun hike with typical spring weather conditions for the Pacific Northwest. For most of the hike, we walked in a low cloud layer, which had a dramatic effect on the surrounding trees, dripping continuously from mist condensing on the branches.
My favorite part was Millie's reaction to the snow. Every time we saw a patch of snow on the trail, she would dive face-first into it and roll around over and over again. Her unbridled excitement for snow was infectious and I spent most of the hike laughing at her and imagining what she could be thinking.
We came across several hillside meadows along the way that I imagine are bursting with wildflowers in the summer. We only saw a few patches of early flowers this early in the season and much of the grass was still beat down from the winter snow pack. I'm looking forward to getting back up to this trail this summer to see the trail from another perspective.
Millie loving the snow
What a view!
Millie rolled in every snow patch we encountered.
foggy trees
Walking along the ridgeline
We come across a meadow...too early for flowers.
Moisture dripping from the trees.
Millie on the trail!
After many tries, I finally got her to look at the camera!
