3/17, Sunday. An unseasonably warm weekend: Seattle was 73°F on Saturday and 70°F on Sunday.
UW's cherry quad was almost full bloom, 2-3 weeks earlier than normal.
With this much heat, they may not last long.
The cherry trees by the fountain were not blooming yet.
Parking for Hex Mt is tricky.
This is the reason that we started late. Hoping around noon, some early hikers would be gone.
Ate lunch while waiting for a spot. No luck.
Ended parking on an unplowed road, and took a different approach. Slightly longer.
Around 1-1:30pm, saw many hikers coming out. So, that might be a better time to start.
The trail is surprisingly dry, snow was gone on more than half of the trail, even the south side of the summit. I lugged the snowshoes all the way up and down. Didn't use microspikes either. Yes, gaiters. This summer would be very bad, if we don't get much more precipitation this spring. It was so hot, that we were having trouble keep our normal pace. Also we are definitely out of shape.
The view of Cle Elum Lake is really good halfway up.
The summit offers great view of Stuart, part of the Enchantments, the eastern slope, Rainier.
