On the 15th of April I headed back to Icicle Ridge with the Over 40 Slackers meetup group. Boy was I feeling out of shape, but it was so nice to see the sun! Last year we were here on May 14th, a month later. Here is the link to the previous posting Icicle Ridge May 2016. As you can see we were a little early for the wild flowers, as everything is still moist and melting out. There was a bit of snow at our destination, and a lot of snow if you continue to 4th of July Pass.

The stats are on my older posting, but here they are again for convenience:

6 miles round trip, 1800 ft. elevation gain, High point 3000 ft.

No parking passes are required for this hike and it is an easy road in, so if you don’t have a high-clearance vehicle. Please see my previous posting for the WTA Link and more info.

The trail itself is well maintained, it is not rocky or rooty, there are a couple of spots that can be slippery with loose gravel, but otherwise in great shape. It is a pretty constant grade up to the lookout point, good heart pumper. It is worth noting this trail has a lot of spots that are exposed, and it can get VERY hot. Do not attempt this on a hot day. You will be sorry. Many trip reports note snakes on the trail (rattlesnakes). I saw one last time, but it didn’t bother me. No snake sightings this time around, maybe they were still hibernating. We did spot a grouse which was pretty cool. It makes a strange whomping sound when it is calling to its mate. It blended into the scenery very well, and you had to look hard to spot it. As far as the scenery goes, we had a nice clear day. Mount Stuart was very pretty with all of the snow on it, and the town of Leavenworth looked peaceful below.

All in all, a very nice day. Here are some photos from this outing: