Distance: 7.8 mi.
Elevation Gain: 3450 ft.

Green Mountain was the first mountain that Craig and I ever climbed together, way back in December 2014 as a snowshoe. Of course, at that time Craig was too scared to talk to me. Green Mountain was also the second mountain that we ever climbed together, in March 2015. After that, he finally asked me out on a date 🙂

We had never done this hike in the summer, so we decided to return with some friends for a sunrise hike. We got started at 3:30 AM and were super thankful to do this 3,000+ foot climb during the cool night, because it was turning out to be a scorcher of a day. By the time we reached the open slopes below the lookout, we were able to turn off our headlamps. There were lots of wildflowers blooming and the bugs weren’t bad at all thanks to a frost during the night. The trail itself was in amazing shape after some recent WTA trail work.

The trail got a bit confusing around the unnamed lake below the peak with several little splits and side trails, but eventually it sorted itself out again. The final climb was pretty  steep! But watching Glacier Peak glowing with the light of dawn was just spectacular. We saw one tent at the lake, another at the base of the summit block, and another pair of hikers that had camped directly on the (closed) lookout tower balcony. We reached the summit at 5:30 AM.

As the remainder of our friends made their way to the summit, Craig and I got changed while Kaeli and Melissa helped me with my hair and makeup. Rachael handed me a breathtaking bouquet that she had personally arranged, I joined Craig on the rock outcrop beside the lookout tower, and we decided to get married right then and there! Surprise! Our friend Trevor, who I met on the Appalachian Trail and who introduced us, did an amazing job officiating.

We had some tears, some laughs, some beer, some champagne, and an abundance of warmth and encouragement from our guests on this chilly morning. We won’t forget this hike anytime soon!

The hike down was straightforward minus the one tiny but kind of steep snow patch on the final slope. We started hiking down at 7:45 AM and finished at 9:30. We only saw one other hiker coming up on our way down, but we saw a bajillion and a half cars coming up on the drive down the bumpy Suiattle River Road! Hopefully their hike was as beautiful as ours was.

More photos
Download GPS track

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Recommended brew: Wander Brewing Raspberry Champagne Toast

Gear Used:

• GPS
• Trail runners
• Trekking poles
• Wedding ring
• Ukelele
• Bouquet
• A muumuu, a kilt, and lederhosen
• Hilarious cinnamon rolls topped with a wedding cake topper
• Two puppies who were completely stoked to be hiking at 3:30 AM
• Some of the greatest friends a couple could ever ask for

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