From the boys' WTA Trip Report:

We are the Mountain Goats and today we headed up to the Snoqualmie Pass area. Our original plan was to try and climb Mount Roosevelt, as we started to head up the Snow Lake trail in cloudy weather. It was pretty easy going up to Snow Lake and got a bit crowded as we descended from the pass towards the lake. The recent snow and slush had frozen over and was pretty slippery. Especially for people with sneakers and no poles. Many people were stopping here as we cruised around the lake on our way towards Gem Lake. On the trail up to Gem Lake we started getting some really nice views into the Central Cascades jagged peaks. We saw Lemah, Thomson, Big Snow, Burnt Boot, Avalanche, Hinman, Overcoat, and may others we couldn't immediately identify. Really cool views from this angle.

The meadows near Gem Lake are beautiful and we passed lots of tarns that are filling back up with the recent rain and snow. Fall colors are out, too. Soon we hit Gem Lake and what appeared to be the split to the climbing trail to Roosevelt. Because of the dusting of snow, concern about it possibly raining, and knowing that the climb to Roosevelt is steep and exposed and not a marked trail, we decided to save this one for another time, when it's dry and we can more safely figure out the route.

We continued on the trail at the lake and then decided to climb up to Wright Mountain, which is just north of Gem Lake. There is a trail that splits off from the main trail, and loops around and up the east side of the mountain. The trail gets steeper and with the snow on the boulders and rocks, it was slippery and slow going, but it was pretty easy to find a route to the top. From the top, the views were pretty spectacular, and luckily, the clouds were pretty high, so we could see pretty far. We looked down to Upper Wildcat Lake and enjoyed views of Bryant, Chair, Roosevelt, and the back side of Kaleetan, which looks very imposing from this side. We could see the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie and had views of Preacher, Caroline, Garfield, Treen, and Price. It was lightly snowing, but no wind, so it was pretty nice on the summit.

After a nice long break, we made our way back down, picking our way through the snow and rocks and back onto the muddy main trail. Several people coming up to Gem Lake, and lots more to Snow Lake as we came down. It's pretty muddy and slippery, so folks should consider at least wearing boots. This was a fun hike overall - nothing too difficult, and the further away you get from the trailhead, the less people you see, and you get much better views. About 11 1/2 miles roundtrip and 7 1//2 hours car to car with breaks and time up top.

Thanks for reading and happy hiking!!

Bryant and Chair Peak Ridgeline