My great hike on Little Si
The Beauty of Little Si
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, my husband (EastKing) and I went up Little Si.
The climb is 1,576 feet. In 1985, a group of volunteers built sections for improved scramble routes.
This beautiful, not-far-from-Seattle mountain is great for beginner hikers like me, a fun trail run for more advanced hikers and a nice, beautiful jaunt with a great view of the area of North Bend and beyond for those in between.
The mountains of Little and Big Si were named after local homesteader Josiah "Uncle Si" Merritt.
Things you might want to note are: This is a great hike for friends who are looking to enjoy nature without putting too much of a time investment into that, or a great hike for parents and children. Likewise, for me, who needs to lose about eighty pounds and my husband, EastKing, I found it to be a nice, romantic and beautiful hike for couples too.
Many great write ups have been written about Little Si, including this one from December 12th, 1996, from Seattle PI, by Karen Sykes(the source it a bit outdated, but valuable information is timeless): "Now hikers Tackle Little Si in the winter when the wind and/or rain seem a bit much for its popular counterpart above, or simply for a change of pace. And it makes a great hike around the holidays, being close to the city and offering a chance to get out in the weather and work off some calories." And Wikipedia offers up its own stance as well, which is actually pretty cool:"The hike up to the top is an easy hike that the whole family can do."
I look forward to the day when I can hike Little Si with ease, but it was much harder for me with my fibromyalgia and my muscular pain and the extra weight. To be the only one heaving and sweating when others are gliding by with ease can be hard, but I am learning slowly to take it in stride.
The great thing about my hiking partner, (and husband), EastKing is his ability to empathize with me and the shape I am in and to encourage me to keep going.
The thing I loved most about Little Si are the gradual small switchbacks and what seemed like "openings" into the forest, especially when you get to the rock climing area and you are approaching Big Si.
I have not found much written about the greenery on the trail at this time of year, so let me be the first! The greenery is magnificent. The ferns and many different shades of green make it like a green fall wonderland) instead of winter wonderland. Interspersed with me getting to the top and being distracted by the beauty were two beautiful hawks flying and circling around the entire mountaintop. The backdrop of the greenery and evergreens made for a beautiful pre-Christmas picture and I cannot wait to revisit this hike many times again.
On a Personal Note:
Little Si will always have good memories for me as one of the bigger, longer hikes I have done in a long time. Now, for many of you advanced hikers out there, that statement might seem a little strange, being that most of you wonderful, passionate hikers on SummitPost do much bigger on a regular basis.
My husband, EastKing, is an advanced hiker and it is great to watch him grow since we moved here a year and a half from the East Coast to Washington State.
I truly always admire him.
Things are, however, different for me. With fibromyalgia and the amount of health challenges I have and a huge weight problem which I am trying to work on one step at a time, I really felt I was getting a workout. I like the fact that I can do something like Little Si and still give myself a pat on the back for accomplishment. When I shed my eighty pound backpack, hopefully each trail, and each review, will get a little more rewarding.
Directions (Taken from "ClimDirections to park: Little Si is located at exit 32 on I-90. Fr North Bend, go South East on highway 202 to Mt Si Rd. Follow Mt Si Rd across Snoqualmie River and turn left following to parking for Little Si. Hike down 434th South East 1/4 mi to signed trailhead. Go up trail to 2nd step, turn left onto small path (bog). Turn left at next trail for 1/2 miles to The Woods, WorldWall, and Canopy Crag.
bingsource.com"):
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