Last weekend, I was headed to the Middle Fork Snoqualmie trail, because I wanted a river/forest hike after two visits to mountain lakes. When I got there, however, the parking lot was extremely crowded due to some sort of trail running event going on. Looking at my map and their signs, I was able to piece together that the CCC Road Trail south/west of the Pratt Balcony trailhead was out of range of the trail running event, and headed there as an alternative. That section is clearly lightly traveled in general - past the turnoff to the somewhat more popular Pratt Balcony, we saw only one other hiking party all morning, and were frequently hiking through heavy brush. It turned out to be a relatively easy hike through mixed forest types, with occasional views out to Russian Butte. Would I hike it again? Not necessarily. The brush and thorns wore on my patience. And while the forest is certainly nice and pleasant, it's nothing more scenic than the many other second-growth forest trails in the area (or closer to home). Even so, I walked away with a few decent pictures, and it was nice to have a peaceful walk in the woods with lots of solitude.
First, a lush stand of maples and alders, with bigleaf maple leaves in the foreground. F/14.
Next, one of those peek-a-boo views of Russian Butte. F/14.
Lastly, Russian Butte earlier in the morning, from near the trailhead. F/14.
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