A 7.7 (our distance was 8.2 miles) mile loop hike with 1300' elevation gain. You could have fooled us. It sure felt like more than that. We began the hike in daylight and finished in pitch dark. Good thing Mark brought a flashlight along! We had forgotten just how much burgeoning life is found in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Normally a moderate hike like this, started reasonably early in the day, would not see it's finale after dark. This is what happens when hikers stop to take photos of just about every fern, lichen, moss, fungus, and bug for miles around! And not to leave anything out, all the plants with flowers hanging by winter's thread.

We did the hike on a Tuesday and met up with only a few other hikers. It's often a little spoiled if the trail is too crowded so we would recommend doing this trail on a weekday if possible. Also take note of the vertical profile image we recorded with our GPS. Next time we would do the loop from lower trail first and returning via the upper trail. MUCH easier on hips and knees to cut down on descent time.

ENJOY!