Trail Report: Mt. Si

Way back in May of 2012, I went on a hike on Mt. Si.  My father and brother had invited me to come along.  This was a great early season hike of one of the most popular climbs in the area.  Only about 20 minutes from downtown Seattle, this trail gets a lot of traffic.  Even on a wet Spring day like the one we experienced there were dozens of people, some with children or dogs, on the trail.
The trick to skipping, or at least avoiding, the crowds is to use the "Old Si" trail.  The old way of climbing the  3100 feet is no longer maintained, and therefore used much less.  This route is also a much more direct route to the top, there are fewer switchbacks, and therefore a steeper grade.  Still, it is clear by the wide berth of the trail that there is still plenty of foot traffic.  You can even see the trail on Google Maps, displayed in "terrain" view.

Dad taking in the view.  To get to the tippy top you have to climb
"The Haystack".  It was too icy this day to attempt.

The trail is so much more extreme that my brother, almost from the get go, decided he wasn't going to be able to complete the four mile trip to the top.  Fortunately the trail head for the old route is also the starting point for Little Si, a 2.5 mile trip to the top of an out cropped part of the mountain that tops out at 1,200 feet.  So, my brother took on that challenge while we continued on.  Once at the top we contacted my brother and informed him we were going to descend by the "new" trail.  He had to bring the car over to the other lot to pick us up.  However it did make the way down a little less monotonous and easier on the knees.
Mt. Si is so popular because it gives a great challenge with little distance from home.  It is also used for mountaineers as a training hill for climbs up Mt. Rainier and other Cascade peaks.  Anyone in the area should limb Mt. Si at least once, if for no other reason than to say you have done it (try to get up on a clear day to see to Seattle and beyond).  Be cautious though, there will be many other people accompanying you.

View Mt. Si in a larger map
Please excuse the GPS lines, they got a little off track in the trees.