2026.10.24. Kendall Peak

10/24, Saturday. Cloudy. Left Seattle shortly before 9am. Went up to Kendall Peak from Commonwealth Basin, 2nd time this year. Too late for fall colors. Even too late for mushrooms. Too many people picking, or the soggy ones. The ground was frozen (wet last week). Instead of crossing the Commonwealth Creek, I opted to scrambling up the slope towards PCT. This turns out to be more problematic than it looked. On the way, saw some black velvet bolete.

Once I was on PCT, it was smooth sailing. At the junction of Kendall Peak, went up. The view gets better, the higher you go. The track is more defined each time I am here (2nd time this year). Not much fall color left. Didn't see anyone on the way, maybe because of the cloudy weather? Saw one near the summit. On my way down, met a couple. That's all.

Had my short lunch break at the summit all by myself. It was rather cloudy today, but still great view all around. No wind, so warmer than I expected. I think earlier in the season is prettier, because it would have more snow.

Followed the trail all the way back, including crossing the creek. It was not a trouble. Saw a grouse, and later a grey squarral on PCT. Back at the parking lot by 3:30pm.

Got back in Seattle early enough to see Earth Creative 2026 Showcase. Multi-media climate-focused art. The 2 paintings on the left use UV pigments. 2 pairs of ChromaDepth Glasses were provided to see the 3D effect. The effect is weak, but definitely there.