Hey! If only I'd known. V and I ran into you as we were on the way down.
We debated biking but biking that road on a road bike (my only option) with an overnight pack sounded not that fun.
We did not summit as it turns out my summer of moving my mother into memory care and getting zero exercise and V's summer of mountain biking instead of hiking uphill with a pack resulted in us wisely choosing to forego the summit in favor of chilling out and reading while sitting on a rock, camping with a stellar view, picking a whole lot of huckleberries, and swimming in Silver Lake, topped off with delicious potato tacos in Lake Stevens. I can't regret it.