"It has taken me several attempts to get to the top of The Pulpit, which is the highest peak on "Middle Mountain". Access to the Middle Fork trailhead now is great, since the road has been paved. Cross the bridge, go right and in 15 minutes, just beyond the bridge over the tumbling Rainy Creek, bear left onto the Rainy Lake trail. The trail is clear for the first couple of miles, though there are washed-out stream crossings and downed trees to negotiate here and there. At 1900 ft there is an area of bramble on talus. There is a path right through it. Go in about 10 feet, onto the large rocks and then turn right and up. It is easy to get through this section, about 120 feet. The first time, there was about a foot of snow, and I could not find the way across. I was also reading the Green Trails map, which shows an old route that crosses Rainy Creek several times. I crossed over, but didn't find any trail on the east / north side of the creek. After the first trip, someone pointed me to an excellent hike report on The Pulpit (http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7992205) that has a GPS track showing the route going right through this bramble. On the second try, ..." — markgarrett • Dec 13, 2017