WA Granite Mountain

Destination: Granite Mountain, WA, USA Style: Hike (hard) Distance: 8 miles r/t - 3,800' elevation gain.  Summit 5,629'. 4.5 hours (would be more fun if you took 6-7 hours - but I was being chased by sunset after work)

Report: This is a tough climb.  To get there drive I-90 East from Seattle to exit 47.  Take a left, another left and you're at the parking lot.  Hike is about half in the forest and half on an exposed ridge.  This mountain has extreme avalanch hazards in the winter - so don't join the burried crowds, go in the summer.

The hike starts fairly easy until you come to a trail junction where you turn right and start going up.  You go up and up and up and eventually break out of the trees (about an hour into the hike).  You eventually come to a ridge like walk - but you're still going up.

You'll eventually come to a point (above the trees) where there appears to be a valley to the right but the ridge looks like it's too the left.  I fucked up and went left which leads you through a car sized boulder field for about a 1/2 mile - stay right - it's much easier and prettier.  :)

On the top is  a new fire town and the base of an old fire tower.  The views are pretty nice but I was feeling too ill to realize that at the time.  :)

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