When looking for a quick training hike for Nick, Dan, and myself the idea of getting back up there to bag the peak floated in. When we realized we needed to be getting home earlier rather than later it was cemented in place and we headed up.

We started at the Mirror Lake trailhead and had soon passed Cottonwood Lake (not much to look at) and were at Mirror Lake which is crystal clear and offers a refreshing dip for young dogs desperate to get wet. Soon we were on the PCT heading north. It's a quick 300 foot climb to get to the ridge between the Twin Lakes and Mirror Lake basins, but then downhill slightly to the junction with the Silver Peak trailhead.

The Silver Peak trail climbs quickly and levels out at the base of a huge pile of loose rock. Fun. Each rock is between six and 12 inches in diameter and they all shift when you step on them. It sounds like breaking glass, though the rocks themselves weren't terribly sharp or heavy.

Beyond the small rock field there's a little downhill to the base of an even bigger rock field, though these rocks are closer to the traditional talus fields found throughout the Cascades. This climb was slower, but far more rewarding as it was clear it was the last push up the hill.

At the summit we could see south to Rainier and Adams, north to Glacier, and west to Seattle. Unfortunately, there was a nasty haze obscuring most of the Puget Sound, but the local air was crystal clear. Several thousand feet below us we could hear people frolicking in Annette Lake and thousands of others speeding by on I-90.

After we'd had our fill of the mosquitos, biting flies, and crazy swarming bugs we headed back down. Tokul took another swim in Mirror Lake and just as I finished my three-liter camelbak we were back at the car where Tokul lay down in the dirt, thoroughly wiped out.