Mount Pilchuck

Sadly it has been WAY too long since I last enjoyed a 

Wilderness Wednesday 

but I'm happy to report that I made it up Mount Pilchuck yesterday. 

Normally I am not a fan of crowded hikes, 

but for safety's sake it's the way to go when hiking solo. 

I got to the trailhead around noon and it was packed. 

I passed some hikers on the way up (miracle) 

and ended up sandwiched between two pairs of hikers 

going the same pace for the last mile or so, which worked out well. 

As you can see from the photos above it was a 

GORGEOUS PERFECT DAY. I planned that since the last time 

I did this hike it was completely fogged over and I couldn't see a thing. 

There was still quite a bit of snow but boots suited me just fine. 

Minor slip and slides were actually pretty fun. 

The only downside to hiking alone is that you end up laughing all by yourself 

when you fall. Good thing there was no one around to call me crazy, right? 

The view from the top was beeeautiful. Also, totally blocked out the memory 

of the scary boulders and ladder from last time. Good thing by the time 

you reach the top you're too tired to bother with your fear of heights. 

Until the way down...that took a while. 

Here is a little clip from the top, really only of one side of the lookout 

(there were people on all the other sides, and this was the view of the Cascades)

P.S. The song in the clip is Bon Iver's "Holocene", which I had stuck in my 

head the whole time. I love that song and the "I can see for miles, miles, miles..." 

part completely explained my experience. 

My dad called when I was at the top - fun to talk to him from there :) 

I texted my parents a photo of the view. 

Thanks to technology hiking solo isn't really hiking solo. 

I'm SO happy that I went on this gorgeous day. 

Amazing views of Rainier, Baker, Glacier, all the others. 

I love the mountains. LOVE. 

For more info on the hike, click here.