We usually don't venture far out of town on a three-day weekend. It's the traffic, of course. With sunny skies and warm temperatures just about anywhere you'd go today would be beautiful. We did get an early start - two of my companions were a little under the weather and we wanted to beat the heat as well as the crowds.
There's not a great deal to say about this trail - it has been written about many times and appears in guidebooks and hiking-related websites. What I can say about the trail is that it's the easiest 2,100 feet gain I've ever hiked - the gain is gradual and there are plenty of forested stretches along the trail. Flowers are in bloom -- flowering currant, trilliums, yellow violet, coltsfoot, Starry Solomon's Seal is just beginning, vanilla leaf. The trail is in good condition.
We took a break at Stan's Overlook (about 1,000 feet from the trailhead), then didn't stop again until we got to Grand Prospect, arriving early enough to claim a bench.
Great day, wonderful companions.
Getting there: From Seattle, take I-90, get off at Exit 27, continue to trailhead.
