6.8 miles of hiking • 2000' elevation gain •
Do not make the mistake of trying for the North trailhead to Silver Star. Nothing will make it up that road unless you are a very high clearance vehicle. Passenger vehicles head to the Grouse Vista trailhead.
I was absolutely exhausted on Saturday. Friday night, the girls dragged me out to Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper in Ridgefield, WA. I ended up staying up with a couple of beers and reconnecting with an old friend visiting from Michigan, even though I promised to meet up to carpool at 8 am. I dragged myself out of bed at 7, and prepped myself to hike. My partner Zane, was starting to feel the first signs of a cold, but didn't want to miss out.
We opted for the right offshoot trail that allows passage by Pyramid Rock, which was very overgrown but still easy to follow. I can't imagine getting lost on it, but if it was the least bit wet it wouldn't be fun to bushwack through the trees if you didn't have rain gear on. Our return trip was on the maintained trail.
The day was supposed to start cloudy then eventually clear... We summited into a cloud, where it was windy, cold, and I was glad that I had my extra merino layers to grab out of my pack. My two friends, new to the PNW from Florida, said they were simultaneously cold and warm at the same time, and I instantly asked if they were wearing cotton. Of course, they were, so they got a lecture from me where I had to explain why you don't wear cotton to hike or you risk getting hypothermia even in mildly cool weather. Zane's fever had flared up and he felt pretty sick, so he made his way back to the car before the summit.
I'll have to return sometime when the views aren't obscured by clouds.
