Read directions to find the trailhead - it helps.  Very nice hike despite being caught in a downpour.  Dried out at the Vista house. No other hikers on the trail but several mountain bikers were out. A new ski lift cuts across part of this trail so part of this trail may be unusable during snow season. 

Once a year I make sure and hike from the top of Mount Spokane to the bottom using two cars to shuttle and really get to see it all in one day. From the top we took trail 140 down to Upper Kit Carson rd, stopped briefly at the CCC Cabin on Beauty Mountain and then continued on the loop road to Saddle Junction. Made a detour to Mount Kit Carson for lunch in a field of wildflowers before descending down trail 140 to Smith Gap eating huckleberries all the way. Stopped in at the Snowshoe Hut to get out of the rainstorm before continuing on lower Kit Carson rd. To trail 110 for the final descent to the car at the lower gate. Approximately 9.5 miles and 2893 elevation loss. #trailsandales #hikeathon 

Every time I visit the mountain in December, it is different. It will be different today than yesterday because snow is falling again.

The snow was crisp and crunchy rather than the ideal soft fluffy white that makes snowshoeing fun. I parked at the hairpin turn and headed up trail 100, missing the start of the trail and crunching overland to meet it for the trek uphill to the upper parking lot. As I climbed, there was more frost on the trees, but no fresh snow. I passed a hiker with a dog who completed the same loop in reverse without snowshoes.

As I crossed the closed summit road, I picked up trail 131 to trail 130 which was nicely packed to Bald Knob Campground. Lots of folks use this to start their summit treks, including a man who was snowshoe-joring with his two large dogs. After the campground, the trail was less distinct in places, but I had no difficulty following it to the CCC Cabin where I paused for lunch by the fire. There were a couple of snowmobiles parked out front, their drivers chatting away.

After lunch, I headed down the Kit Carson Loop to saddle junction, where I picked up trail 140. The loop road was groomed for snowmobiles, but I only saw one which passed me twice. Trail 140 was more of a trace than a trail at the top. It was difficult all the way down, as it was icy and had not been packed down to snowshoe width. Near the top, I followed and avoided moose tracks for about a half mile. Closer to the bottom, I followed deer tracks which did not suck my snowshoes in like the big moose holes did. There was a tree down across the second switchback from the bottom, cutting across the trail twice.

At Smith Gap, I skipped the warming hut and headed down the Loop Road, as the day was short and my hike was long enough. 

When I returned to the parking lot around 3:00, the park ranger was issuing tickets for those who did not display snow park permits. She was allowing drivers to buy permits rather than pay the fine.  Be sure to buy and display your Snow Park Pass.

The Spokane Mountaineers headed out from the Cook Cabin parking lot for this week’s Wednesday night hike. We followed the Upper Kit Carson Loop to the CCC Cabin and a heard brief word on the history of the area. We continued down the Loop to Saddle Junction where we admired the new door on the outhouse before heading up trail 130 to Day Mountain. After a brief break for snacks, we headed down trail 130 to connect with the Kit Carson Loop and hiked back up to Saddle Junction. Instead of retracing our steps, we turned onto upper trail 140 which took us up a steep grade on our way back to the parking lot. We encountered a few downhill cyclists on our way.  A short jaunt on the Kit Carson Loop finished our hike. 

Weather on the mountain was significantly cooler than in town. The trail was dry and dusty. In places it was beautifully maintained, in others, brush has grown over the sides and might benefit from some WTA love and care.

The wildflowers were beautiful as we approached Day Mountain through meadows. There were a few ripe huckleberries, but not as many as last year. They may be arriving late this year, or the odd warm weather last winter may have hurt the crop.

#trailsandales

Trail is all snow free except the last 1/3 mile to the summit of Mt. Spokane.  If you don't mind walking on the snow, which is firm at the moment, it's no problem to make your way up to the summit even though the trail proper may be hard to closely follow in this section until the snow melts a little more.  Was a bit sad to see all of the recent clear cutting on the northwest side of Mt Spokane.  The only people I saw on the trails today were a crew of about 10 people on Trail 130 southeast of Day Mtn that seemed to be clearing the trail.  Thank you for doing that!