The bridge over Denny Creek was closed so we had to park at the Franklin Falls trailhead and start from there. The day was cloudy and overcast for a good part of the day. My son and I started about 9:30 am this morning. We got some clearing when we got to the summit several hours later.. Overall, this is a great hike with a relatively easy final scramble to the summit. While one could argue that the elevation gain of over 5,000’ is the biggest challenge, for the fit hiker/climber I found the trickiest part of the hike is the descent just beyond Point 5700 down a steep (and wet today) dirt trail. Definitely use tree branches and heather where possible to prevent slipping. The ascent of this area on the return trip was much quicker and then the descent and we did not have any issues with slipping. The other potentially challenging part is crossing several rocky talus slopes which can move when you step on them - choose your rocks carefully. The entire trail is full of rocks and rock fields/slopes so this definitely adds to the fun.

On a clear day, there is a lot to see with Mt Roosevelt, Chair Peak, Granite Mountain, Mount Baker, Rainier and McClelland Butte to name a few. There are also spectacular views of Melakwa Lake, Snow Lake, Kaleetan Lake and Gem Lake.

I will definitely plan to climb Kaleetan again on a clear day. While it looks ominous from a distance, the mountain fit climber/hiker will have not any problem with the steep terrain and final scramble. Both my son and I climbed up the rock walls, which had good hand and foot holds, on either side of the gully to avoid the loose rock. We found and signed the summit register under a big rock at the summit.