Four miles one way. Nearly a 4000-foot elevation gain. And I did it, along with L, G and F. And let's not forget Tito, the Tibetan Spaniel! As my friend L said, "Now you can do anything."

Oddly, this one was easier than the Mt. Defiance hike, where I had another mile and a half to gain slightly less elevation. Huzzah.

Stats from Peakbagger.com:

Maintained Hiking Trail: Granite Mountain Trail
Trailhead: Granite Mtn. Trailhead 1870 ft/570 m
Vertical Gain: 3759 ft/1146 m
Distance (one way): 4 mi/6.44 km

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Yup, we're going up there. It looks a hell of a lot steeper from the base. I stole this pic from the internet, and don't know the vantage point. Probably from across I-90. (The rest of the pics are mine, courtesy of iPhone.)




Meadow and rock garden, about 2/3 of the way up.




Heading up from the meadow.




Looking back down toward the meadow.




Looking up at what is yet to come.




We are still trying to figure out which peak this is.




Looking down on the rock garden above the first rock garden. We're near the top now. Yes, the highway below us is I-90, where we started. You can see it on the left side of Lake Keechelus (for some reason, pronounced KETCH-a-luss).



I believe this is Denny Lake (nearer the top right of the pic) and Crystal Lake (nearer the bottom left).




View from the top.




The peak on the right is Mt. Defiance, the other mountain I hiked this summer. Woot!

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I'm ready for bed. I came home, ate leftovers, took a hot shower, and watched The Family Guy. Time to get ready for the morning. You'll understand if I bow out and head for bed early!