10/9, Sunday. Wide spread haze throughout WA. Abandonned my backpack trip (plan A, B, C), and day hiked on Sunday.
Mount Ellinor is a short, steep, but rewarding hike, 2-2.5 hour drive from Seattle.
The trail starts in the forest, but pretty soon, you are out on a steet walk. The view over Lake Cushman is always behind you, which provides a good excuse to taking a break. On a clear day, you can admire the Hood River Canal and the Cascades. Not today. We did see Mt. Rainier's tippy top. Smoke level is quite high. I'm grateful that we have blue sky here.
Rocks steps, and reenforced ladders, all well laid out. This makes the hike a little boring, and easier.
It's quite hot (almost 80°F) today, so you are paying more attention to the heat instead of where to place your next step.
The summit offers great view of the mountains in the heart of Olympics.
The view is better earlier in the season when more peaks are cladded with snow.
A lot of people today, maybe because of the same reason that drove us here: too smokey on the mainland.
On the way down, walked over to check out the connection to Mount Washington. Looks very sketchy.
Back to the smokey Seattle, still in day-light. No traffic.
Smoke map on the following morning, thanks to https://wasmoke.blogspot.com/"
