Black Butte on a Beautiful Day

This was a spectacular hike from the bottom of the butte… so a 3000 foot elevation gain!  The first three miles were in the trees mostly with glimpses of the mountains.  Many stunning old growth Incense Cedars.  We saw 2 other hikers on this section.  The second, more widely traveled 2 mile section to the top was crawling with hikers and dogs of all ages!  There were icy patches along the way but nothing too challenging.  The final stretch of the trail became a social track through snow cutting directly up to the fire tower, circumventing the trail that traverses the north side and comes out closer to the newly renovated cupola.  I have hiked this upper stretch many, many times over the past 45 years but this was my first hike from the bottom up– it was a perfect day and a lovely hike!