This morning I drove to Snoqualmie Pass to check out the conditions at Kendall Katwalk. It's still close to four hours to drive there from Portland, but I-90 is really pretty. The PCT trailhead is easy to find, and the route to the catwalk is fairly idiot-proof. I am not a huge fan of foresty hikes, instead preferring meadows, rocks and sky, but the forested majority of this hike is about as lovely as trees and moss get. After a couple miles, the views start opening up as you switchback up talus slopes, and the terrain is varied the entire way with tallish peaks all around. On a Monday morning, I passed only one other hiker and two coming out (at the top and on the return trip there were many more). There were still a few snow slopes as I approached the ridge, but they were soft and manageable in trail runners and utilizing poles. Only one of the traverses raised my pulse a little, but it was over quickly. I passed the little scramble up to Kendall Peak and saw some bear prints in the snow. After another short stretch, I reached the catwalk at about six miles, a touch further than I had read. Mount Stuart was visible in the distance, my new mountain crush. The cloud-enshrouded panoramic view is empirically very pretty, but I was slightly underwhelmed... guess I'm spoiled. The trail between me and Bumblebee Pass looked very snow-drifted, so I opted out. I trail-ran down the way I came, busting my ass in a waterfall once, and then battled traffic for over five hours. Is this worth a loony drive, à la Mount Aix and others? The jury's still out until I get a damn nap.
12.5 miles out and back.
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