I decided to take the day off to go for a hike. I opted to try for Big Huckleberry from the Grassy Knoll trailhead. The weather forecast was not exactly balmy but I assumed that there would be some flowers out. I hit the trailhead at 0815. The car said it was 54 degrees but the stiff breeze made it feel a bit colder. Cloud level was probably around 5000'. My car was the only one at the TH. There was one other when I left in the afternoon, accounting for the 2 people I met as I descended.
Trail conditions: Pretty good. There are a few blowdowns on the way to the knoll, including one as you enter the trees at the trailhead, but they are easy to step over or around. There's a bit of brush on the trail above the knoll, particularly after Cold Spring Camp. The trail is completely buried in 1-2' of snow starting around 3850'. I kept at it for about a hundred yards but finally turned back, probably a quarter mile from the PCT, because I was tired of slipping and sliding and having to constantly check my map. Oh well, another time.
Flowers: There was a pretty good range of flowers although it was fairly modest at the knoll. Balsam root is just on the edge of blooming. There is a little paintbrush but not much. Daffodils by the remains of the fire tower put on the best display. However, in the forest, there was a profusion of trillium. Above the knoll, almost every meadow was filled with glacier lilies and western spring beauties (I think). Nothing has bloomed yet above Cold Spring camp. A selection of photos is at the end.
Mushrooms: Orange peel fungus seemed to be everywhere. I came across several huge (the size of a 16 oz beer can) snow bank morels. In the forest Big Huckleberry, white alpine waxy caps seemed to be everywhere.
Bears: They are around. I surprised one near the rocky overlook on the way up to the knoll. It was close, maybe 40 feet up the trail from me. I was moving pretty slowly and quietly looking at flowers and didn't realize it was there until I caught it in my peripheral vision as it turned and bolted into the brush crashing down the draw. Above the knoll, I saw 4 piles of relatively fresh bear scat on the trail. After the first one, I started smacking my poles together and talking whenever I encountered brushy sections of the trail. I scared away another large animal based on the racket it made as it tore off through the brush.
Views: Considering the cloud cover, there wasn't much. The clouds to the east dissipated in the afternoon and Mt. Adams was visible.
