Sunday. Mount Dickerman. ~3800', 8.6 miles RT. 2:45 hour to get up, and 2 hours to go down. The first 1.5 hours are in the woods. Good trail, endless zigzag but not steep, big trees that get thinner as you go up. The next 30 minutes are flatter among blueberry shrubs, partial view of the southern mountains. The sun made the leaves bright yellowish green. Lots of little rocks. Another 15 minutes lead to a flat area with lots of lupines and velarian. A side trail to a butte. The last 30 minutes are a delight. Slopes dense with flowers, view opened up on both sides. At the very top, some trees block the view to the south. Continue a bit further along a short ridge of flower carpet to another butte for a fantastic 360° unobstructed view:
Mt Baker to the north (didn't see Shuksan) in the far background, closer peaks are Mt Forgotten, White Chuck, Mt Pugh over the Perry Creek valley. To the east Glacier Peak is towering over others. To the southeast, jagged peaks of Alpine Lake wilderness. No Rainier today due to the clouds. The immediate south is Pilchuck, Three Fingers. Well worth the effort. Sat down to eat my cake. 3 grey jay fought for my food. One flew 3 times almost to my face.
Direction: ~17 miles east of Verlot on Mt Loop Hwy, or 2 miles further east from Big Four turn off. ~1:50 hours from Seattle. ~30 cars in the road side parking lot, shared with Mt Forgotten trail. A lot of camping possibilities along Mt Loop Hwy. Saw a few tents on the riverbed.
