Photos from this trip can be found here.
Weather was decent enough in Salmon La Sac area to get a quick hike in. On the drive to trailhead, pretty much all the mountains from North Bend onward were capped with clouds. I had hoped to go up Mount Kent but changed my mind after realizing getting good views at the top wouldn’t have been possibility.
This was our third time hiking the mountain and I dreaded the service road walk every time. The walk itself from the gate just off Salmon La Sac Road to the actual trailhead felt longer than the time spent on the trail.
Clouds were rolling in and out of the area but stayed to the northwest, and view of the summit was obstructed at times as we meandered in and out of the forest. Wind grew stronger the moment we got on the ridge and never let up. There was just a thin layer of snow from the trail/road junction below to the summit to the summit block. The summit itself barely had snow, but the rocks were covered in ice.
Snowshoes and microspikes ended up being my training weight since I didn’t need to use them. View to the north was scarce beyond the first ridge line, so I never got to see The Enchantments peaks. West view to Cle Elum Lake had always been minimal because of the trees, so not much to see there either.
Access: NF-116
Gear: microspikes and snowshoes packed but not used