Although I have grown up in the foothills of this mountain, this was the first time that I had actually made it to the top. It was a small group of us (3 people, 1 dog) that started our climb in the afternoon. I couldn't wait to get up to the top so that I could see Lake Stevens, and the town of the same name, from above. I have grown up hearing stories of the old ski resort and although there wasn't any snow, I could imagine the old terrain and thought I saw the base of an old riblet about 1/2 way up. The view from the top was amazing. This was the first real glimpse of Glacier Peak that I had ever seen, and I'll never forget the view. Lake Stevens and the surrounding small towns looked so insignificant, and being up there seemed to put a lot of things into perspective.

The Everett Mountaineers were busy trying to get another coat of paint on the old Fire Lookout at the top and it was a perfect day for it. I only ended up with a little bit of paint on me from being careless near a railing, but I didn't mind. The lookout was rather crowded and although I wanted to stay a bit longer and check everything out, we found a perfect spot for a bite to eat and relaxed a bit before heading back down.