Silver Peak

Someone at work relayed information about their attempted hike toward Silver Peak a couple of months ago and it has been lurking in the back of my mind ever since.  Silver Peak stands above Lake Annette, a frequent destination of mine and I have often wondered how to reach it.  A quick review of the www.wta.org website provided instructions and several trip reports.  The trailhead is reached from FR 9070, which begins in the Hyak parking lot.  The Cold Creek trail follows the creek for a little under a mile to a tee at Twin Lakes.  

Cold Creek near the trailhead

One of the Twin Lakes

 Following instructions, I took a left and crossed the creek over a single log bridge and began angling up more steeply at the base of a north facing slope.  Slide debris including a patch of last season’s snow, covered the first section of trail, which foreshadowed another dozen or so downed trees blocking various parts of the trail over the next mile and a half.  The trail, where visible, switches back, often quite steeply, to another tee at the Pacific Crest Trail.  Mirror Lake is ½ mile to south but will remain a mystery for another day. 

Sign marking a tee in the PCT

Pacific Crest Trail

Instead, I turned right noting that Snoqualmie Pass is 7 ½ miles distant.  I chatted with an elderly couple who described the turnoff for Silver Peak- a rock cairn on the left side of the PCT marking a “climbers trail.”  The PCT between the tee and the Silver Peak trail sloped down at a gentle grade, crossing wet meadows through a mix of conifers and vine maples in their fall glory. 

The climbers trail begins in a huckleberry and salal meadow but soon enters a forest following a small steep creek upwards.  After ½ mile the landscape opens and the two-tiered flank of Silver Mountain comes into view.  The first tier consists of switchbacks crossing a pile of crushed rock rubble that leads to a short forested plateau.  The final approach is steeper and the rock is more competent.  

Climber trail zigging up the left flank of Silver Peak

Cross-country trails below the peak

Annette Lake looks so tiny from Silver Peak!

There is a 360 degree view from the top of Silver Peak with Annette Lake lying surprisingly far below to the west.  Both the east and west approaches of I-90 are visible along with a patchwork of interconnected roads that are used by cross-country skiers in the winter.  

Fellow hikers at the top of Silver Peak.

After enjoying a quick snack, I descending the climbers trail, passing two families with two kids, not more than 10-years old each.  The young ones seemed content but they hadn’t reached the steepest sections yet.  When I reached the PCT I turned north to make the hike a loop.  After reaching the FR 9070, I turned right and headed for my car.  After a couple of miles of trudging, a couple of hikers I had seen on the peak slowed and gave me a ride the last mile to my car.  Still it was probably a 10-mile day and my legs were grateful for the rest.