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The Walt Bailey trail doesn't get much use compared to the other trails in the Stillaguamish valley. It isn't well known, it's in a sort of mini rain forest zone (Bald Mountain Natural Resource Conservation Area gets between 100" and 160" of rain annually)and the trail itself alternates between smooth park like rambles to tangled roots to boulder avalanche fields to boot sucking mud. It's not as bad as it sounds, especially considering the pay off, but it does tend to weed out less hardy souls and the t-shirt & tennis shoe crowd.
This usually means a good deal of solitude, particularly mid week or rainy weekends. That wasn't the case today, with 7 vehicles at the trailhead, possibly inspired as I was by WTA's recommendation, but folks were spread out pretty well, and I was happy to see more people enjoying this underused gem.
The ridge below the summit of Bald Mountain is ablaze in the yellow, orange and red hues of fall. The berries, though not as plentiful as in most years, still abound near Cutthroat Lakes, and my heavens they're tasty! By the time I finished snacking my way across the ridge, my fingers were so purple it looked like I'd just voted in an Iraqi election.
There are also some nice views to be had here, west to Mount Pilchuck and down the Stillaguamish valley, north to Three Fingers, Fletcher & Anaconda Peaks, east to Marble Peak (I didn't actually shoot an azimuth, so I may have the name of one of those peaks wrong, but the views are lovely whichever peaks they are).
Part of me (the selfish part) wants to say "Ssssh!" when someone mentions this trail, but the better angels of my nature want more boots here, because the more people who love the Walt Bailey trail, the more advocates there will be for its protection and maintenance. So do yourself a favor and head on up to this spectacular panorama, and be sure to bring a friend.
