07-13-24
Gary
and John were free for a
Saturday hike. Gary suggested Mt. Dickerman. I have done it quite
often. Gary and I have done it half a dozen times. John and I did it in
2022 and it was his first time up. That hike was in September with
colorful leaves and was not too hot. This day would be quite warm in
the afternoon. It is a popular hike and so we headed out early. We met
at Ash Way P&R at 6:40 am and headed for the Mountain Loop
Highway. We arrived at the parking lot at about 7:45 am. The parking
spaces were nearly full. When we returned we found that cars ringed the
lot parallel parked behind the cars in parking spaces. I had not seen
the lot this full this early. We grabbed our packs and were on the
trail at 7:50 am. It was in the high 50s and comfortably cool. As we
started up the trail it quickly became evident that it was very humid.
My shirt was soaked in no time at all. That was the worst part of the
hike. Our pace quickly slowed and stayed that way most of the day.
There were a few flowers but not a lot. The forest is mostly thick with little sunlight getting in. That was not a totally bad thing as the day warmed up. The lack of light means not much ground cover either. On the positive side, the trail continuously climbs at a steep but steady grade. There are some rocky sections but much of the way is smooth enough. There are lots of switchbacks and that steady climb. With the humidity, this was about the slowest pace I have had on this trail. We did pass a few groups heading up. We were passed by even more groups. I have a few landmarks that let me know where I am on the trail. There is one remaining metal mile marker at mile 2. I missed it on the way up but found it coming down. We did see the remains of trillium flowers down low. There were also Queen's cup in bloom. We saw exactly one blooming tiger lily. There were others that were just short of blooming. There were patches of columbine above the 2 mile marker. After 2 miles, the trail passes a big rock and soon peeks out of the forest. Big Four can be seen across the valley.
At the waterfall, there was a little water falling. It was enough for us to pump water on the way down. There were some more flowers on the switchbacks after the creek/falls. Where the trail turns left at a narrow meadow we saw a few marsh marigolds and stopped for a break. Food and water helped. The humidity lessened out of the forest. Next came the gravel and steps section that climbs through a meadow. The gravel provides bad footing and the steps are too big. This is my least favorite part of this trail. That ends when the route climbs to a ridge with a few views across Perry Creek to Mt. Forgotten and Stillaguamish Peak. It was getting warm out of the forest. A few more switchbacks. and we traversed over to the flats below the summit. On the way we had views west to Mt. Pilchuck, across to Hall Peak, Big Four, Vesper, Sperry, and Del Campo Peaks. The north sides of those peaks still had a good coating of winter snow.
At the flat spot we stopped for another break. I brought more water than usual and I was using it up. The last half mile to the summit gains 430'. There are some big steps at first then the trail switchbacks on mostly smooth terrain. I took off first and after the steps I set a good pace. I even passed several groups on this section. I also kept stopping for photos. The views to the south just kept getting better and better. We saw haze in the mountains on our drive in but it was very clear high on Mt. Dickerman. I reached the top at 10:37 am. Gary was just a couple minutes behind me. John stayed at the flat area longer and reached the top a little later than us. There were a few glacier lilies still blooming near the top. There were also a few snow patches. Only one short one was on the trail. 2:52 was a very slow time but with the humidity it was understandable. With our early start, we still had most of the day left.
The views were too god for a quick stay on the summit. The first rock at the highest point was full of hikers. We continued on dropping and climbing to the eastern viewpoint where we were alone at first. The views were terrific in all directions. In September 2022 the west side of Glacier Peak appeared to by almost all rock. Now, it was bright white with remaining snow and ice. Baker and Shuksan were clearly visible. I could pick out Three Fingers, Whitehorse, White Chuck, Pugh, Eldorado, Dome, Sinister, Sloan, the Monte Cristo Peaks, and others mentioned to the south. From the top we could see the top of Mt. Rainier at last. A clear day in early summer with snow still on the peaks provides one of the best viewpoints in the Cascades. The high at the 5728' summit was supposed to be in the upper 60s. It already felt like 80 degrees. There is not a lot of shade on the summit and none were we sat. There were some bus on top but they were not yet much of a problem.
We sat down for lunch while just admiring the views. This is a challenging trail with 3800' gained to the highest summit in just under 4 miles. We saw a vast cross-section of hikers in all ages and fitness levels. They had all persevered and reached the top. I would have liked to spend more time on the summit but it was still getting hotter and we had a long way to hike and drive to get home. We reluctantly packed up and headed down at 11:47 am. We headed back to the real summit for a few last photos to the north. At 11:54 am we headed down. As we went down more hikers were coming up. We passed quite a few in the first half mile down. For the most part, the descent was easier. The rocky sections and big steps were harder. My knee started to hurt a bit after many jumps down onto rocks and gravel. That almost never happens. The upper part was getting very warm. We did pump water at the waterfall/creek and that helped a lot. Once back in forest the lack of direct sun also helped. It was still hot and a little humid in the forest. I did notice the 2 mile marker must before the switchback after the big rock. We were about half way down. It sure seemed to be taking a long time. Those folks who were heading up in the heat of the day are made of sterner stuff than me. I was glad to be heading down. The dark forest with little ground cover is an ideal spot to find saprophytes. I looked hard and did see one patch. I think it was John that pointed out another.
As usual, the last mile seemed to take a long time. We reached the parking lot at 2:48 pm. We hiked slowly but with the early start we stayed on top for 1:17 and were still down before 3:00 pm. As mentioned every crevice had a car parked in it. When we pulled out, my car registered 85F. That was well above the 80F high predicted. The drive back to Lynnwood was fine. The drive from there to North Seattle was bad. Such is summer in Seattle with everyone out and about and construction on major arterials.
The day was much warmer and more humid than we expected. That made a steep hike much harder than expected. That said, it was a great hike. We maintained a steady if slow pace and were rewarded with some really great clear views from the summit. Hiking up to find wildfire smoke or just bad haze is disappointing. We were not disappointed. The conditions on the summit along made this a memorable hike.
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Trips - 2024
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There were a few flowers but not a lot. The forest is mostly thick with little sunlight getting in. That was not a totally bad thing as the day warmed up. The lack of light means not much ground cover either. On the positive side, the trail continuously climbs at a steep but steady grade. There are some rocky sections but much of the way is smooth enough. There are lots of switchbacks and that steady climb. With the humidity, this was about the slowest pace I have had on this trail. We did pass a few groups heading up. We were passed by even more groups. I have a few landmarks that let me know where I am on the trail. There is one remaining metal mile marker at mile 2. I missed it on the way up but found it coming down. We did see the remains of trillium flowers down low. There were also Queen's cup in bloom. We saw exactly one blooming tiger lily. There were others that were just short of blooming. There were patches of columbine above the 2 mile marker. After 2 miles, the trail passes a big rock and soon peeks out of the forest. Big Four can be seen across the valley.
At the waterfall, there was a little water falling. It was enough for us to pump water on the way down. There were some more flowers on the switchbacks after the creek/falls. Where the trail turns left at a narrow meadow we saw a few marsh marigolds and stopped for a break. Food and water helped. The humidity lessened out of the forest. Next came the gravel and steps section that climbs through a meadow. The gravel provides bad footing and the steps are too big. This is my least favorite part of this trail. That ends when the route climbs to a ridge with a few views across Perry Creek to Mt. Forgotten and Stillaguamish Peak. It was getting warm out of the forest. A few more switchbacks. and we traversed over to the flats below the summit. On the way we had views west to Mt. Pilchuck, across to Hall Peak, Big Four, Vesper, Sperry, and Del Campo Peaks. The north sides of those peaks still had a good coating of winter snow.
At the flat spot we stopped for another break. I brought more water than usual and I was using it up. The last half mile to the summit gains 430'. There are some big steps at first then the trail switchbacks on mostly smooth terrain. I took off first and after the steps I set a good pace. I even passed several groups on this section. I also kept stopping for photos. The views to the south just kept getting better and better. We saw haze in the mountains on our drive in but it was very clear high on Mt. Dickerman. I reached the top at 10:37 am. Gary was just a couple minutes behind me. John stayed at the flat area longer and reached the top a little later than us. There were a few glacier lilies still blooming near the top. There were also a few snow patches. Only one short one was on the trail. 2:52 was a very slow time but with the humidity it was understandable. With our early start, we still had most of the day left.
The views were too god for a quick stay on the summit. The first rock at the highest point was full of hikers. We continued on dropping and climbing to the eastern viewpoint where we were alone at first. The views were terrific in all directions. In September 2022 the west side of Glacier Peak appeared to by almost all rock. Now, it was bright white with remaining snow and ice. Baker and Shuksan were clearly visible. I could pick out Three Fingers, Whitehorse, White Chuck, Pugh, Eldorado, Dome, Sinister, Sloan, the Monte Cristo Peaks, and others mentioned to the south. From the top we could see the top of Mt. Rainier at last. A clear day in early summer with snow still on the peaks provides one of the best viewpoints in the Cascades. The high at the 5728' summit was supposed to be in the upper 60s. It already felt like 80 degrees. There is not a lot of shade on the summit and none were we sat. There were some bus on top but they were not yet much of a problem.
We sat down for lunch while just admiring the views. This is a challenging trail with 3800' gained to the highest summit in just under 4 miles. We saw a vast cross-section of hikers in all ages and fitness levels. They had all persevered and reached the top. I would have liked to spend more time on the summit but it was still getting hotter and we had a long way to hike and drive to get home. We reluctantly packed up and headed down at 11:47 am. We headed back to the real summit for a few last photos to the north. At 11:54 am we headed down. As we went down more hikers were coming up. We passed quite a few in the first half mile down. For the most part, the descent was easier. The rocky sections and big steps were harder. My knee started to hurt a bit after many jumps down onto rocks and gravel. That almost never happens. The upper part was getting very warm. We did pump water at the waterfall/creek and that helped a lot. Once back in forest the lack of direct sun also helped. It was still hot and a little humid in the forest. I did notice the 2 mile marker must before the switchback after the big rock. We were about half way down. It sure seemed to be taking a long time. Those folks who were heading up in the heat of the day are made of sterner stuff than me. I was glad to be heading down. The dark forest with little ground cover is an ideal spot to find saprophytes. I looked hard and did see one patch. I think it was John that pointed out another.
As usual, the last mile seemed to take a long time. We reached the parking lot at 2:48 pm. We hiked slowly but with the early start we stayed on top for 1:17 and were still down before 3:00 pm. As mentioned every crevice had a car parked in it. When we pulled out, my car registered 85F. That was well above the 80F high predicted. The drive back to Lynnwood was fine. The drive from there to North Seattle was bad. Such is summer in Seattle with everyone out and about and construction on major arterials.
The day was much warmer and more humid than we expected. That made a steep hike much harder than expected. That said, it was a great hike. We maintained a steady if slow pace and were rewarded with some really great clear views from the summit. Hiking up to find wildfire smoke or just bad haze is disappointing. We were not disappointed. The conditions on the summit along made this a memorable hike.
 Starting Up The Trail |
 A Little Rocky |
 Big Rock |
 Queen's Cup |
 Trillium |
 View Of Big Four |
 Columbine |
 Sperry & Vesper |
 Into The Meadow |
 Stillaguamish Peak |
 Mt. Forgotten |
 Blooming Heather |
 Del Camp Is In View |
 Hall Peak |
 Sperry & Vesper Again |
 Mt. Pilchuck |
 Flat Meadow Break |
 Great View South |
 Phlox |
 Southeast View |
 Morningstar, Sperry, Etc. |
 Heading For The Top |
 Near The Top |
 Snow Patch |
 Del Campo Peak |
 First View North |
 Three Fingers |
 Dome Peak |
 Eldorado Peak |
 Mt. Pugh |
 Baker & Shuksan |
 Glacier Peak |
 Mt. Forgotten Close Up |
 White Chuck Mountain |
 Sloan Peak |
 3 Fingers & Whitehorse |
 Rainier & Morningstar |
 Mt. Baker |
 Dickerman Summit |
 Glacier Peak Summit |
 Glacier Peak Again |
 Snow Near Summit |
 Glacier Lily |
 Heading Down |
 Back At Meadow |
 Penstemon |
 Back In Forest |
 Into The Sunshine |
 Arnica |
 2 Mile Marker |
 Tiger Lily |
 Wild Ginger |
 Pinesap |
 Coralroot |
 Big Cedar Tree |
 The Lot Is Full |
Trips - 2024
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