Solitude for those who dont find the quiet disquieting. I was the first car in the lot at 8:45 on a holiday weekend, and encountered maybe 10 people over the course of the hike. Being the first on the trail has many benefits, the least of which is being first to meet every spider web constructed over the last week. We may consider it to be huckleberry season, but the arachnids wished to remind me that it's their time with mummification by ten thousand strands of spider silk across the path. I like to think this guarded me from mosquitoes, because I had no real trouble with them today. You're welcome for clearing those.
As for berry season, the top 1/3 of this hike is rife with huckleberries, but you'll need a keen eye or an undiscerning palate to pick them out of the absolutely overwhelming quantity of blueberries along the trail. It's not a bad problem to have, just "bear in mind" that you're not the only one looking for berries to eat out there.
Overall, for a trail comprised almost exclusively of switchbacks, it's neither dull, nor a grind. The grade is (thanks to these switchbacks) rather consistent and not particularly gruelling. The changes in scenery between exposed meadows with expansive views and forested canopy cover with cooling shade make for a pleasant hike on a well developed trail. The payoff at the top is a full 360° Cascades panorama prominently featuring Rainier, Glacier Peak and the mountains cradling Blanca Lake (not itself pictured, but you can see the ascent as a gentle reminder of why you may have picked this hike instead).
Especially with the reopening of Index-Galena road, I don't expect this trail to remain a secret for long (the trip reporter's dilemma). The drive in is comfortable, with a pothole here and there to avoid, but is passable for any vehicle without difficulty. Backcountry toilet within the first couple hundred feet of the trailhead on the left.
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