The plan today was to meet Ken at the Poo Poo Point parking lot but somehow we got our signals crossed and he didn’t make it. So I went up the Chirico Trail solo, relatively early (about 7:30 am) on a Tuesday. I mention this because this is one of the busiest trails in the area.
The parking lot is in Issaquah, so it is easy to get to; there are hang and para-gliders launching from the top (but none today while I was there) and that attracts people, since they are very cool to watch; and it is only about 4 miles round trip. I believe people read that stat and decide it will be a nice easy walk.
It is a nice walk but it is not easy, since you gain about 1700 feet of elevation in less than two miles. It is a steep one.
I passed two young hikers on the way up. One of them was clearly quite overweight and out of shape and, as I passed, she said “I am getting my butt kicked.”
On the way down, not far from the top, there they were, they had not quit. I encouraged them by telling them they were getting close and the overweight one just raised her fist.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day.
Nice! I am thinking of doing Mason Lake on Thursday, the latest trip reports suggest it has melted out and you can now make it all the way to the lake fairly safely.