Autumn Arrives on Granite Mountain

After many days of rainy weather I been wanting to get out for yet another adventure. According to the forecast the weather looked bad, and I assumed the worse. But to my surprise we had fabulous weather with just enough cloud to keep things nice and cool.

I wake up at 6:52 a.m. to have breakfast and run out the door in order to catch the bus in time. I was excited to once again be having an adventure “Josh Lewis” style which involves using a bicycle to get to your destination. Unfortunately it was only 5.2 miles, but at least I got to take it easy and eventually meet up with Zach.

View Along the Way

Fall is in the Air

The weather kept getting better by the minute as we drove towards Granite Mountain. By the time we started hiking it was already starting to get warm. The hike itself is a easy 4 mile trail that takes you all the way to the summit. On the way I saw that Autumn colors on much of the mountain face, although I would give it another week if your looking for the true fall colors this place has to offer.

Autumn Colors on the Mountain

Chimney Rock and Overcoat Peak

Fall Colors Contrast	Cirrus Clouds Above	Hiking up the Trail
Granite Mountain Lookout	Blue Ridges to the South	Mount Stuart in the Distance

On the summit I meet a nice fellow who kept us good company and told us about some of the peaks he has climbed. Mount Rainier was looking quite beautiful today due to the clouds forming all around. After taking a few photos we finally decided it was time to go.

Clouds Building on Mount Rainier

Granite Mountain Panorama

Looking to the East

Kaleetan Peak’s South Face	Mount Rainier’s North Face	Looking towards Denny Mountain
Looking Towards Mount Rainier	Looking North	Crystal Lake Below

On the way down I could see some left over blue berries if anyone is after them, although not sure how good of quality they are. We made it down the Mountain in decent time. On the way home I had a few opportunities to get a few snap shots.

Fall Colors on Granite Mountain

McClellan Butte’s East Face

Storm Building Up

Gunn Peak from my Home

Total Distance: 18.4 Miles
Hiking Distance: 8 Miles
Time: 5 Hours Round Trip (not including the Biking)

Images

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