Visitor to Seattle

[stephen]

I am visiting Seattle from the UK for the first time next week 11-15 April. Could anyone recommend a good walking route at this time of year that I can do with my (fit but non climbing) wife? Also any good easy ice routes that I could solo?

[Alpine_Tom]

As far as walking routes, there are plenty of hiking opportunities around here, though it's a bit early in the year. Have a look at http://www.wta.org/wta and http://www.cooltrails.com/ and http://nwog.org/. If you're comfortable with snowshoes, you can rent them at REI or Swallows Nest or other places, and they'll increase your options greatly.

Have a great trip!

[Andy_Bourne]

Welcome to the Northwest. There is definitely no ice to be had unless you ran into the occasional patch of it on a snow climb. But there are lots of climbable snow routes and couloirs.

I don't know what your comfort level is for soloing, so it is hard to make suggestions for routes. Snoqualmie Pass has several routes within a concentrated area that can certainly be done solo in a day. There are also good possibilities around Colchuck Lake near Leavenworth, but climbing anything there will take more than a day. I have heard of some stuff south of Rainier in Goat Rocks Wilderness, which is situated in the middle of three volcanos, Adams, St. Helens, and Rainier.

Check out the Cascade Alpine Guide by Fred Beckey for climbing routes, and look at 100 best hikes in Washington for hiking/walking routes.

And, yes, snowshoes will greatly increase options.

Good luck.

[fredrogers]

You can also check Jeff Smoot's site. He has a page deidcated to easy summit hikes and scrambles:

http://climbingwashington.com/features/summithikes.htm

I highly recommend the hike to Hannegan pass/peak- the views are amazing: Mts. Baker, Shuksan, Ruth and a peek into the Northern Picket Range. All on good trails with the majority of the elevation gain right at the end.

It you bring along ice axes, the climb up Mt. Ruth is also supposed to be a nice outing, though exposed in places.