"Snagged one of three remaining parking spots- again. The trail immediately starts climbing. Most of what little flat areas there are seemed to be in the first mile. The switchbacks lead you steeply up through forest. Around 2.5 miles you come to the turn off to the Mulkey Shelter and Colonel Bob trail back to Lake Quinalt. At this point the womp womp womp sound I had been hearing for some time was pretty loud. The trail soon leaves the forest and you begin to traverse the wildflower populated meadows. The buzzing of bees is very loud and you can't help but brush past and disrupt those working on flowers that encroach on the overgrown trail, but they ignore you and carry on with their work. The trail continues to climb up towards the saddle before dropping into a flat basn populated w/ ponds filled with fat tadpoles and streams. Here the trail passes through busy Moonshine Flats before climbing steeply up towards Colonel Bob Peak. After passing through the camp, I found a sunny spot in the forest to have a snack before I pushed on. After this point, the trail gets very steep. Some large steps and fallen logs required hands to get around, but if you're talling than I it may not be an..." — Hillary • Jul 21, 2018