I started hiking at 3:45pm. Parking lot at the Lower Trailhead was half full. Beautiful, gradual uphill through the woods with intermittent views of Lake Cushman. This is my 3rd time hiking this trail and first with a clear view!

Once I reached the point where the Upper Trailhead meets the Lower (1.5 miles), the granite begins. Larger boulders and a rocky climb up the Summer Route with clear, continual views of Mt. Baker. Saw a few people hiking down and unfortunately, a 47-year old man who broke his leg was lying down going in and out of consciousness. He waited 1-2 hours for the helicopter to arrive. Scary stuff.

Overall, beautiful hike! Saw a baby mountain goat + mama at the summit and had a full panorama of the Olympic Peninsula peaks to myself. I wore a PNW Six-Pack-of-Peaks shirt and got lots of smiles when other hikers read “Ellinor.” A few “nice shirt” comments as well.

ProTip: Be on the lookout for the divide between the Lower and Upper Trailhead entrances on the way down. I went an extra half mile, totaling 6.5 miles, because I didn't notice I was on the Upper Trailhead until I came across a signpost I didn't recognize. AllTrailsPro is a great app to let you know when you're off track.

Total overall time: 3 hrs. 45 minutes

Last but not least, I had been wondering why the peak is named Ellinor. Turns out, in 1853, surveyor George Davidson named Mount Ellinor after Ellinor Fauntleroy, his fiancé. Who knew?