The WTA hike description is accurate. At the halfway point is the "infamous" landslide, which is definitely scary, but I am 70 years old and not very coordinated and I made it across. The outbound traverse slopes down and loose pebbles make for perilous footing. I told myself that the uphill return would be easier, but truthfully it was equally scary. An added challenge is that the exposed landslide area is very buggy, so you have to resist the temptation to swat bugs away while you're trying to keep your balance. The lookout is a quaint, shingled structure and the summit offers beautiful views of Lake Crescent, but you won't want to linger because of the bugs! Bug repellent and/or headnet advised. That said, most of the hike is very pleasant and not buggy (at least in the early morning), winding through shady forest with a variety of ferns, trillium and other wildflowers. The 1.7 mile section between the trailhead and landslide has a very gentle grade, which your knees will appreciate on your return after the steeper 1.7 mile ascent and descent between the landslide and lookout. 

Parking 1pm arrival - 2 other cars, plenty of space
Road - a few potholes on the gravel/dirt part of the road, easily managed with speed & alertness
Trail- great forest walk with a variety of flowers in bloom along the way. The slide area - grateful to have my my poles & good tread on my hiking boots. The bugs were impressive in the slide area (they must like that warmth). The views at the top were awesome. I’ll come back to this trail for a sunrise one day.

First car in the parking lot at at 8:00 a.m. There is a pit toilet that was in decent condition and stocked. Trail is in good condition. There were a few blowdowns but they were easy to go over/under. The trail gets a bit muddy near the top but nothing wild. The washout section was sketch bus doable. Gorgeous and exhausting day!

This is a very pleasant hike, the trail is carpeted with pine needles and no boulders to be seen. Waterfalls are plentiful, the scenery spectacular. The only challenge was getting across the gravel washout, you feel like a movie character creeping along a ledge for about 50 meters. One wrong step could spell your doom! The solution is simple: step carefully. Then it's back to beautiful old-growth forest up to an amazing view from the top. 

Time up: 2 hours

Time down: 1 hour 20 min

I got a late start Sunday afternoon and luckily had my overnight pack with most of my gear for a Mt. St. Helens climb next weekend, because I ended up spending the night in the shelter at the top of Pyramid Peak. I'm not even sure it's allowed, but there was no way I was going back across the washout in the dark, so...

I would not recommend staying at the shelter, though. There are no window panes or doors, and the wind and fog blew through all night. It was very cold, even with all my survival gear. It probably would have been warmer in the trees 200ft down, though there was some new tree debris from the wind on my return, basically no great options... In the shelter, there are plywood boards that can tip over, rusty nails on the floor and mouse poop in the corners. This is not Hidden Lake, Mt. Spokane or Pilchuck. It's really for emergencies only!!!

The trail is great up to the washout. The washout is also in good shape, thanks to the great work of the Gray Wolf Trail Crew. After reading the Jan. 27 report about rock fall and slip hazard, I took my helmet and ice ax and used them, but it may have been overkill. 

Past the washout, the trail is great, but around 500ft from the top, it gets pretty muddy and slippery with some slushy snow. (I used microspikes to descend that part). Up at the top, the views are spectacular! This morning, the sunrise was like cotton candy and merengues. At 6 a.m. 3 high school or college guys showed up with headlamps and watched the sunrise. 

As an aside, yesterday (Sunday) about halfway up, I met a young solo female hiker and near the top I met 3 young men. When I got to my car, there was a note from the young woman, looking to connect with the young men. I texted to tell her "wrong car," but if you're one of those guys, let me know and I'll try to help you make that connection. :-D