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Mount Si

June 28, 2008. Mount Si (4167 ft.) is not a peak I normally would have chosen to do on my birthday, but we had other plans later in the day. Damon and I started up around 9:30AM, got to the top of the Haystack (summit rock) before noon, ate a leisurely lunch, and returned around 2. Despite the crowd and lack of any views on the trail, it is a pleasant workout and the Haystack is a fun class 3 scramble. The view of North Bend from the top isn't bad either. (8 miles round trip, 3500 ft. gain)

Haystack Summit

[Panoramas]
[Panoramas (1)]
Panoramas: There wasn't much to see before the summit besides other people. You can get a partial view of the Puget Sound without climbing the Haystack, but the area is crowded and doesn't give you the 360 of a "real" summit. Me on a rock that is actually lower than the summit. (1) 360 from the summit.
[Various Views]
[Various Views (1)][Various Views (2)][Various Views (3)]
Various Views: I love this telezoom photo of Seattle with the Olympics towering over it. It wasn't actually this clear from the summit though (I boosted the contrast substantially). (1) Rainier. (2) I-90. (3) The western edge of the Cascades.
[Downclimbing]
Downclimbing: Damon getting off the top part of the Haystack. It isn't as steep as it looks in this picture, but you still probably want to know what you are doing.

Last modified: Fri Aug 01 01:57:10 CDT 2008