Mt. Sinai
Date Hiked: July 26th, 2025
Trail Hiked: Mt. Si Trail
Distance Hiked: 8.13 miles
Elevation Gain: 3182 ft.
Duration: 4h 9m
Saturday morning started with an awkward encounter that would be over by the time I descended the mountain. Somehow that was the strangest part of the hike to the Peak of the Twin variety.
Ascending through the fog on a brisk morning, it barely felt like a daytime excursion at all. The canopy of giant trees, of which I'm sure Special Agent Dale Cooper would love to know their names, coupled with the thick, Silent Hill-esque haze to create an eerie atmosphere of isolation. Dare I say, it was downright Lynchian.
I'm a relative newcomer to the works of David Lynch, only discovering them when Redacted took me to Snoqualmie Falls and talked to me about Twin Peaks. Two years and an autistic need for dedicated research later, I was in North Bend when the news came that he'd left this plane of existence to transcend. The Double-R Diner was covered in a candlelight vigil, an image that will stay in my mind far longer than the circumstance.
Originally intending to hike Mt. Storm King from a suggestion, I opted for Mt. Si instead because at no place in the reviews was there a mention of needing to use a rope or any areas that were not maintained. Heading up this mountainside early in the morning was a blessing, as both those going up and coming back down were the real hikers who knew the codes of the trails. The descent later would be filled with tourists who didn't, but fortunately that one was significantly quicker.
Thank merciful Tehlu for switchbacks. Not all my Washington mountain hikes would be so fortunate, but this one would also be significantly more populated. Laura Palmer's theme played in my head as the relatively repetitive views of tall trees and misty mountain hops prevailed throughout the landscape. Trekking poles were also a practical blessing, as one slip could've meant a disastrous sledding hill with only the smothering comfort of ancient ferns as a stop-gap.
One thing I found quite surprising, and perhaps that's due to the relative isolation of the winter Hiking Club speedrun only months before, was the encouragement from those on the descent. Appalachian Trail-esque, dare I say, were those who didn't have to drive two hours to make the climb, and therefore got an even earlier, pre-tourist adventure. They not only were appreciative of the code, but offered sincere support on the 3000 ft.-plus elevation gain. "Keep going, you're almost there!" is something one could take as condescension in many other circumstances, but somehow on this dreary July morning, it provided the extra verbal assistance necessary to continue.
As the trail leveled out, a view above the clouds presented itself briefly before giant rocks replaced the dirt path I'd traversed to that point. Would I climb a few hundred more feet to sit on top of the world and enjoy a Luna lemonbar to celebrate my first true mountain summit? Just call me Will Ospreay, because baby, I was elevated!
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