This was my first hike in the William O. Douglas Wilderness and a nice change of pace from the crowded I-90 and Highway 2 corridors. I have never seem so many cars parked at the trailheads along Highway 410, so clearly people are getting cabin fever and heading for the mountains. Fortunately, this trail was far from crowded even on a high summer weekend. The "parking area" is a collection of random rough roads, campsites, and even ORV trails around the trailhead, so just pick a spot wherever you can. No services at all.
As the WTA description mentions, the first mile climbs fairly gently along an often rocky and dusty tread. The second mile is typical deep forest and continuously steep - it served notice that my pandemic cardio "regimen" has been, uh, lacking. This section also had a couple of substantial fallen trees that you can either clamber over or take steep detours around. After that, the grade moderates and the forest thins out, offering intermittent views of Mt. Rainier to the northwest and Not-Mt.-Aix to the south, before you reach the ridge line and begin the traverse to the actual Mt. Aix. Small wildflowers add an occasional splash of color to the rocky ridge.
There are several creek crossings almost up to the ridge line, so you shouldn't lack for water (filter it, of course). If you take the corkscrew route up the summit block, a snowfield above the small basin on the north side produces a melt-water stream that was just deep enough to pump.
I knew I'd be racing an oncoming weather front, and as predicted, the clouds thickened and the wind strengthened throughout the day. It was blowing hard on the ridge, enough that I sometimes had to brace myself on my trekking poles. Bring a sturdy windbreaker at least. Fortunately the breeze seemed to keep the bugs down once you left the forest. I did get a couple of bites but not bad for this time of year.
On the descent, I opted to make the side trip to Point 7537 on Nelson Ridge. It has a nice view of Mt. Aix, but I was somewhat disappointed to find that the view of Bumping Lake wasn't much better than from the main trail, as only about half of it was visible. Looks like you have to continue much further along the ridge to get a less obstructed view, and I didn't have the time or energy for that.
I met about 20 people, which isn't bad at all for such a long hike, and almost everyone was great at wearing masks and maintaining physical distance as we passed. Given the stiff breeze, it probably wasn't necessary, but still a good habit to maintain in these strange times.
The approach road beyond Bumping Lake is very rough and low/mid-clearance vehicles could bottom out in places, so I'd recommend an SUV. As I was driving out, a pickup truck was proceeding extremely slowly (~5 mph) and delaying several vehicles behind it. People should obviously choose whatever speed they're comfortable with, but if you see cars behind you, please pull over when possible and let others pass.
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