Hike in August & Support Washington Trails Association #HikeaThon
I have been wanting to do this trail for years. Arrived at the trailhead at 7:15am, and there were roughly 3-4 spots in the lot and side of the road. Multiple cars were arriving the same time we were and grabbed most of the remaining spots. Though the road to the trailhead is unpaved for some short sections, it's doable for most vehicles, and we saw many sedans at the lot.
From the trailhead, the trail climbs steadily up to the summit. Smoke was intense and made the initial 3 miles through the forest difficult. Tons of wildflowers along the route and even with the smoke, the views were fantastic.
Once we cleared treeline the smoke eased up, and we went first to Mount Townsend North Peak were we had a quick snack before backtracking to summit Mount Townsend. We then descended and took the split to head to Silver Lakes. We didn't pass anyone along the way, but there were many folks camped at the lake. The lake was beautiful with wildflower meadows and fish jumping. We took the loop around the lake before heading back.
Bugs were nonexistent on the way to Townsend summit and Silver Lakes but very annoying around the lake and heading back to the trailhead. Multiple mosquito bites. Flies were jerks but not biting.
Stats: 13.93 miles -- 4,337 elevation gain -- 5:34 total time -- 3.0 mph moving speed
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