The weather forecast for Sunday was excellent, so I decided to go for a hike with more elevation than I had been thinking about for this time of the season. Last week, I drove by the parking area for Mt. Dickerman, and noticed quite a few cars. I figured if I got my usual early start (out of the house before 6:30AM and on the trail before 8:00AM) I would be able to beat the crowd on an apparently popular route.

One of the books I have informed me that this was a very well maintained trail, but the overall elevation gain was 3723' on an 8.6 mile round trip. I decided to try some knee supports to try to reduce the strain on the old worn joints. As it turned out that was a good idea, as this hike was quite similar to the hike of October 10 that almost did me in. My knees did not begin to complain until I was almost back to the car, and then just a hint of irritation.

When I arrived at the parking lot, there was about a half inch of well frozen snow on the ground. Once I got on the trail, the trees had managed to catch almost all of the snow that had fallen in the last few days. The snow level on the trail began to build a bit as my ascent went on. It was easy to want to continue, with the occasional peek-a-boo views of surrounding mountains.

After a couple of hours of hiking and sweating in sub-freezing temperatures the trees began to thin out as I neared the treeline. The depth of the snow continued to increase with the altitude as you can see in this photo. The sun shinning on the snow crystals gave the impression of diamonds thrown across the landscape.

For awhile, I thought that I would be able to make it all the way to the top of Dickerman, but those that had come before seemed to have given up and the well tamped down path in the snow that I had been following became only a few scattered treads. I was running low on energy and I had reached a high meadow with amazing views. Not only did I have a 300 degree view of the surrounding mountains, but I could see all the way to the northern end of the Olympic Peninsula including most of the Olympic Mountains seen in the far distance. Another shot of some of the closer peaks to the south of Dickerman.

And finally the weary hiker kicks back in the snow for a bit of sunbathing and picnicking. My emergency shelter tarp, pressed into the snow made a great lounge chair. Only the 15 to 20 degree temperature got me back up and on my way after a sandwich, hardboiled eggs, and a thermos of mocha. All in all, one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever taken.