An unusually warm winter and early spring conditions provided a rare opportunity to do a hike on Granite Mtn without worrying about avalanches. Last Saturday offered bluebird skies and temperatures in the 60's, so Fred and I jumped at the chance. Granite is a fairly strenuous hike of 4+ miles and 3800' of elevation gain, but the views more than compensate for the effort. All of you fellow PNW'ers take note; conditions are nearly perfect, with consolidated snow on the east ridge covering most of the talus, and the rest easily scramble-able. No crampons/ice axe needed. The normal valley approach behind the east ridge is still heavily snowed in, to the point no one has hiked it yet. These conditions will change rapidly from here on out, so go get it while it lasts!
The smartphone pictures below don't do justice to what we saw on Saturday, but they will give you at least an idea of just how beautiful the Cascades can be under prime spring conditions.
