I forgot to bring the camera (perhaps subconsciously on purpose) on this, the first hike of the year. It was a beautiful day, if a bit chilly when not in the sun. Our Dad and I left Maple Valley around 11:00. We first took the brief stroll up to a rock climbing area next to a recently rebuilt bridge on the old railroad grade, now the Ironhorse Trail. From there, we backtracked a bit and headed up the trail to Mount Washington, figuring we'd turn around at or near Owl Point, which also happens to be where the Mountaineers turn around when they do this hike. It was pretty slow going, this being the first hike and us being out of shape. The start wasn't bad, but when we got to the killer switchback number four (out of six), we definitely had to slow down and even take a few short breaks. Who knew a single switchback could be a mile long! It also seemed to have an inordinate number of rocks, compared to the rest of the trail. We did get some great views of I90 and off towards Mount Si though, thanks to the alder trees still not having leaves. Once we got off the killer switchback, it was pretty easy going on the last two up to Owl Point, itself a very nice resting spot with a great view towards the south side of North Bend and Rattlesnake Ridge. As it turned out, we couldn't have gone much further anyway, as the trail became covered with snow just after that point. There were some very nice rock formations along the way, including some pseudo caves, and a few small but interesting creeks crossing the trail.

We didn't go much faster on the way down, and were sure glad to see the Iron Horse trail come into view. We were passed by several couples on the way down, some wearing sandals instead of hiking boots. All told, I'd say it was a great first hike. The weather could not have been better, and the views were excellent, and provided ample reinforcement that we indeed were climbing as much as our legs thought!