Hike 3: Little Si — Hikes With Dad

On January 19th, our hike was a beautiful trek up Little Si, in the Issaquah Alps. Little Si is named after its big brother to the east, Mount Si, which is in turn named for local homesteader Josiah "Uncle Si" Merritt. This trail is 3.7 miles in, and there is a 1138 foot elevation gain.

Mt. Si as seen from the summit of Little Si

Accompanying me on the hike was Craig Anderson, Leah Goudie, and my wife, Brook Dodd. Craig and Leah have been friends of ours for many years, and we were excited to go hiking with them, especially as they had never been on Little Si before.

Patrick, Craig, Leah, and Brook at the trailhead

The day started at 8:15am, when Craig arrived at our house wearing moccasins, and a sheepish grin; he then informed us that his hiking boots were still in his garage, so we had to make a quick detour back to his place on the other side of Renton to pick them up. After a picturesque tour of South King County, we got to the trailhead, where we met up with Leah. Leah is much like I am regarding the outdoors; we find spiritual fulfillment in the beauty of nature; the photo below is a wonderful depiction of the plateau.

The landscape of the plateau - photo by Leah

Little Si is one of my favorite trails; it begins with a fairly steep set of switchbacks before plateauing to a meandering path, and ending with one last steep push to the top. Once we got to the top of the initial switchbacks, we were greeted with a snowy plateau that looked like something out of Narnia. I feel so at peace out here, and I am thankful that I have the opportunity and capability to experience this.

Craig and Brook posing pensively on a fallen tree

After a slight incline, we reach the final ascent, which is a steep series of switchbacks, and a couple rocks to scramble over, followed by a beautiful panoramic view. Below is a photo of the 4 of us at the summit. As you can probably tell from our hunched, huddled posture, we were…a little cold. The temperature difference between the plateau and summit was remarkable…it also didn’t help that the wind was going at about 30 miles per hour at the summit!

Patrick, Craig, Brook and Leah at the summit

Craig on the East face of the summit with Mount Si in the background

After the others started back down, I stayed a moment at the top, as I feel closest to Dad at the high elevations. I so wish I could have taken him on this hike with these wonderful people…this kind of thing was right up his alley, and he would have loved Leah and Craig. Before heading back down, I whispered that I’ll see him again on the next summit.

Patrick on the South face of the peak holding, as always, Dad’s favorite snack

At the end of our hike, we followed our tradition, and bought our lovely guests lunch at XXX Burgers. I figured the “XXX Burger” was their signature burger that they were known for, so I ordered it. Boy, was I surprised at the size of this thing! Much to the amazement of my friends (and most people in the restaurant) I ate it all…then went home and took a nap.

Looking forward to hike 4!