Mount Si - Snoqualmie Region

"More than just a popular trail, hiking up Mount Si is like a right of passage for many Seattleites. It makes for a delightful introduction to the Cascades, and an ascent to the top authorizes proud bragging rights to novice hikers." [4Feet]: Barely 3 miles from Mailbox Peak, Mount Si is a well-known hike with an elevation of 4,167' in North Bend. We considered it as the "little mailbox" because the steepness is not brutally challenging yet still having decent elevation gain. On our tracker, we hiked 8.75 miles back and forth with a total elevation gain of 3,300 feet. The Snoqualmie region has been chilly and cloudy throughout the weekend. The heavy humidity not only kept the top of the mountain snow-capped but also kept the thick cloud at 4,000' level. The trail was well-maintained and hardly any scramble until the very end. The last 0.1 mile was a vertical climb on a huge rock known as "haystack". Without proper gears and climbing skills, it seemed dangerously inaccessible, especially in winter. We tried for 1/3 of the climb and retreated as a missed step may lead to a fatal fall. Following the other route to "Snoqualmie Valley Outlook", we were granted a similar view as we climbed Mailbox Peak, yet we had a more sweeping view of Puget Sound and Snoqualmie Valley. 12/11/20