There’s not really a lot to say about this hike. I really liked it. Located right around Snoqualmie Pass, it was snow free in the middle of August. It was a significant hike, about 14 miles round trip, with ~3700 feet elevation gain, so it wasn’t easy. After we got above the forest-y parts it was a lot steeper and the rock was rough and uneven. There were some crazy parts with very steep slopes off the side of the trail and drops of hundreds of feet, but nothing too scary. The Kendall Katwalk itself was a thin ridge where two mountains met with large valleys on either side. The view from one side was spectacular; the view from the other was mostly spectacular minus the highway and ski hills off in the distance.
We only saw a few people, and had some interesting conversations with them. Once we made it to a couple lakes over a mile past the Katwalk, we decided to head back. On the way back down I still had plenty of energy towards the end, so I took off ahead and ran/jogged for over a mile down the mountain. Running down mountain trails is so much fun and challenging, too: dodging rocks, handling switchbacks, deftly ricocheting off trees to keep up the momentum while changing direction. I made it to the bottom and waited for the others to finish. On the way back we stopped in Ellensburg and ate at the Yellow Church Cafe. I had cleaned up and even changed, so I was fine to go in there, but the others were a little stinkier. Still, they didn’t complain and we all cleaned our plates.
