Lat: 46.045323
Long: -122.194687
Total Miles: 5.0 miles (round trip)
Elevation Gain: 2025 feet
Summit Elevation: 3925 feet
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Family Friendly: Older children (8 and up)
All Season or not: No (April - Oct, check conditions otherwise)
I had a commitment in the afternoon (those into college football might be able to guess what it was!) so I did another gone-by-dawn / back-by-noon hike yesterday
I was looking the remaining hikes a hadn't done in Paul Geralds' 60 Hikes within 60 miles: Portland book and noticed Mount Mitchell. Ah ha! That might be a good one! Looks like it might just turn out to be a nice morning!
Was it ever! What a great hike this is! Why haven't I heard people ever talk about this one? It has many of the things I like in a mountain climb: 360 view, rocky scramble at the top, lake view, mountain views....and the suspense kept until the very end.
I left the house at 6:00AM, got a coffee and some gas and headed up.
I should say, any anxiety I had about finding the trailhead and navigating the forest roads were quickly quelled...it was fairly easy to find. And the road conditions, despite a few crater-sized potholes were easy enough for my low clearance Dodge to get up.
Forest roads were in pretty good shape
The book says to park at the junction with the unmarked road that takes to you to the trailhead, but I found, that even despite the two weeks of very strong rains, this section of road was easy to navigate.
When I got to the trailhead at 7:45 and started up the trail, marked by this tree:
Spray paint marks the start of the trail
The early sections of the trail might as well have been a creek bed. Yes obviously there has been a lot of rain recently!
A lot of water on the trail early on
...but the trail quickly gained elevation with a series of switchbacks. Before long the sun arose and started peeking between the trees. It was about 45 degress when I took this picture, but I had already stripped off my outer shell and fleese from the workout!
Trail gains elevation quickly and became dry and well maintained
The first half of the hike was completely in this new forest. The trail was dry and there were lots of autumn leaves on the trail along the way. It was moderately steep for the first mile or so, with some switchbacks.
After the first mile or so, the trail flattened out and headed South, back the behind the back of the summit. Suprisingly very little debris on this well-travelled and soft trail. Before long we came across a few overlooks to the East and Southeast. The trail gets a bit more rocky in the higher elevations.
Looking SE along the trail up to Mount Mitchell. One of 3 or 4 brief views on the way up
Before long we came upon our first hints of snow. There was a smattering here and there along the trail. But it wasn't long before everything was covered!
One of the great things about this climb is that your views are mostly hidden to you until you get to the very tippy-top! I hear there is a killer view of Mount St. Helens from up there. We've had only a few hints between the trees up until this point!
Summit in view!
Our first hint of what's to come (Mt Adams)
Finally, we get to the bald rocky summit and BAM! there's Mount St. Helens like you can reach out and grab it!!
The view of Mt St. Helens is spectacular! The Monitor Ridge climbing trail goes straight up the middle (that little strand of trees points the way)
It was a four mountain view today...St. Helens, Rainier and Adams were plain as day, and Hood partially obsured to the South East
St Helens and Rainier, clear as a bell on this rare sunny November morning. Swift Reservoir on the Lewis River in the foreground
It took about and hour and a half to get to the summit. Not too bad. It was REALLY COLD. My thermometer said 24 degrees and boy was it windy! You know you almost want it windy and cold at the top of a mountain, ya-know?
Mount Adams in view
View to the southwest. Pretty snow-covered buttes in many directions.
Signed the logbook. Ok, I'm a little unabashed about marketting the site! 
Ok. I'm freezing! Will you stop taking pictures and let's go!!! (Sugarloaf Mt in the background)
We headed back down and reached the trailhead in about 45 minutes. I realized about half-way down that I had my pack partially opened. DOH! I lost my 60 Hikes book! Too bad! Easy enough to buy a new one, but I spent two hours one day labelled the page numbers on the map in the beginning of the book (hint for the next edition!).
I was back in town an hour-and-a half later. GREAT morning! What a bonus! I was really expecting overcast and kinda crummy!!
Soo.....
Why doesn't this hike get talked about more? It has as nice a views as Defiance, Larch, Chinidere, or Dog Mt, or any of those...
I wondered perhaps it's for the same reasons I've passed it up so much: It's up there in Washington, if you look at a topo its surrounded by clear cuts, you've got to go up some unmarked forest roads to get there, and well - it's called "Mt. Mitchell". That's pretty boring - It needs a better name! Think about names like Battle Axe, Defiance, Dog Mt. They all have cool names. Mount Mitchell?
If this was called Mount Treachery, or Suicide Butte, or Hatchet Point you'd have been up there by now! Right? Especially if you heard it was only an hour-and-a-half from town, had great views and was fairly easy to climb!
Here's the rest of the photos:
http://jeffstatt.smugmug.com/gallery/2146528
DIRECTIONS:
-- Take I5 North to the Cougar/Woodland exit (junction #503)
-- Turn right, eastward on rt 503 towards Cougar - go exactly 31.2 miles (you will pass Jack's store after 22.8 miles)
-- Turn right on an unmarked road (there was a pink ribon tied to a tree) which ends after about 200 feet.
-- Turn right onto this unnamed road. Let's call it "Bridge Rd" so you know how to identify it on the map below. You'll soon cross the Lewis River on a long one laned bridge.
-- After you've gone .2 of a mile turn left onto Pothole Ave. (again, this is my label for the unnamed road)
-- Travel due East on Pothole Ave. for 1.4 miles.
-- Take a right on Rocky Rd. The road winds its way up into the forested hills.
-- Take a right after 2.3 miles onto Trailhead Lane.
-- Take Trailhead lane to the end (1/4 mile at best)
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