The road to the trailhead is in about as good a condition as I’ve seen it. The trail is in OK shape — OK for this trail, which is always rooty and rocky and often wet and slippery — but there were a fair number of trees down, some of which were a moderate pain to surmount. (No complaint, just a word to the wise.) The trail also wasn't as overgrown as I've seen it.
I arrived to an empty trailhead, didn’t see another soul the whole hike, and returned to only my vehicle in the parking area. (If you don’t know, the trail up Colonel Bob starts *across* the road from the parking area, near the sign on that side.)
I managed to beat the weather system to the peak, although it was cold and windy up top, and I did get a little rain on the descent. It was raining hard during the drive out, so my timing was serendipitous.
The main creek crossing at Moonshine Flats was wide and deep. Instead, I backtracked just a little bit and followed a way trail to just above where the creek narrows and drops into a small waterfall. It’s so narrow here it’s pretty easy to cross from one rocky side to the other. If you want to find this route, just follow the sound of the rushing water.
That’s about it. If you’ve done this trail, you know it’s steep and unrelenting, but it’s a beautiful hike, with unparalleled views of the southwestern Olympics.
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