We put our mind to doing Mt. Si this weekend, not really sure if we were ready, but went for it anyways. Mt. Si is 8 miles roundtrip and 3150 elevation gain- the most we have done yet. We knew we had to get out there early to get a parking spot and avoid a stampede of crowds. We left Seattle at 7AM and got there a little before 8. The parking lots was over half full at this point. We started the hike just around 8. The way up was a continual grade that was exhausting and difficult. The hike is rated expert. There really isn't much to see at all on the way up, no look outs at all. We stopped to rest maybe 2-3 times just to catch our breath before going on. The trail was very well maintained with no trees down or anything. 2 hours and 7 minutes later we got to the top and it was stunning. I would not recommend this hike on a cloudy day because what would be the point? Mt. Rainier will always be my favorite and this hike gave us an up close and personal view of her. We sat and adventured around the top for about an hour. I really could've stayed up there all day it was so beautiful. Oh, and we ran into a group from Minnesota and Wisconsin and one of the guys graduated in my husbands med school class and is a resident at UW. Such a small world. At the top there is a haystack that gets you 200 feet higher, but it is very advanced scrambling and we were not looking to die this day. We made our way down in 1 hour 30 minutes. After this hike we feel like we are ready for Mailbox. Won't be able to attempt it for awhile, but we're coming for ya.
