Are mountains in the Cascades scalable without any technical skill? (Seattle: house, live)

[Jobster]

Are there plenty of hiking opportunities in the Cascades, or for that matter the Olympic mountains and any other ranges close in proximity to Seattle?

If so, if you're in good physical shape and healthy, will you be able to summit many of the mountain peaks by utilizing a hiking trail, without having any technical mountaineering expertise?

[jacqueg]

Sure.

Elliott Bay Books has a good hiking section.

Here's a guide book - Washington Scrambles 2nd Edition: Best Nontechnical Ascents (Paperback) | The Elliott Bay Book Company

[CrazyDonkey]

Check out Mt. Si.

[cdelena]

It is important to educate yourself and sometimes work with local climbers. People die in the Cascades every year, even on the so called easy climbs.

[perigee]

Depends on what you think of when you say mountain.

If you think a mountain means snow capped, that means glaciers and technical climbing.

As CrazyDonkey points out we do have mountains that you can summit during a day hike. A book I highly recommend, Beyond Mount Si, does a great job of cross referencing different hikes. You can choose by intensity or by location. The Ranger station is also a great resource on matching hiker and trail together.

[Jobster]

Originally Posted by perigee

Depends on what you think of when you say mountain.

If you think a mountain means snow capped, that means glaciers and technical climbing.

As CrazyDonkey points out we do have mountains that you can summit during a day hike. A book I highly recommend, Beyond Mount Si, does a great job of cross referencing different hikes. You can choose by intensity or by location. The Ranger station is also a great resource on matching hiker and trail together.

I mean, if you had to compare Washington to Colorado for example, would you say they are similar in levels of accessibility?

For example, in Colorado, for the most part, the majority of the mountains are walk ups. Don't get me wrong, the elevation change can be challenging; however, I don't have to worry about bringing a rope and an axe, and doing something that looks like it should have been in the movie Cliffhanger, and I'm dangling near certain death.

I like getting good views, get a decent work out in, and maybe anticipating some unrealized danger, but not actually being in a position where I'm questioning why I chose to put my life at risk.

Are there hikes all over Washington that fit this description? I don't even necessarily have to get to the peak of each mountain, as long as I get relatively close, and I can say, "there's the peak," that's good enough for me.

Athletically, I think I have the ability to be a technical climber, but my risk vs reward analysis instructs me against putting my life at risk.

Does this make any sense? Are a lot of people in Washington avid hikers? How long is the hiking season before the mountains become inaccessible except for maybe professionals? Can anyone give me a feel of what it's like?

[Gabbythecat]

You could join The Mountaineers to learn about hiking, climbing, and scambling. They will teach you where to go and how to do it safely.

[Transmition]

Mount Pilchuck is not much more than a hike. Not for beginners, accidents and injuries seem to be fairly common there. Nice lookout tower at the top.

[Gabbythecat]

I live right below Mt Pilchuck. Helocopters fly over my house frequently going to rescue hikers who think they can easily do Pilchuck since its "just a hike". They get into trouble and have to be rescued. Irresponsible people.

[IslandCityGirl]

Originally Posted by Jobster

I mean, if you had to compare Washington to Colorado for example, would you say they are similar in levels of accessibility?

Are there hikes all over Washington that fit this description? I don't even necessarily have to get to the peak of each mountain, as long as I get relatively close, and I can say, "there's the peak," that's good enough for me.

Athletically, I think I have the ability to be a technical climber, but my risk vs reward analysis instructs me against putting my life at risk.

Does this make any sense? Are a lot of people in Washington avid hikers? How long is the hiking season before the mountains become inaccessible except for maybe professionals? Can anyone give me a feel of what it's like?

Yes, there are maintained, walkable, less-than-a-day hiking trails that take you to beautiful vistas, all over W. WA. Many of these trails are accessible for most of the year. Many others will [often] be under snow for several months (not much snow at all last year...), but otherwise accessible. There are a lot of options at all different levels of difficulty and time commitment.

Yes, there are a lot of avid hikers in WA. It truly is a part of the local culture. That includes hikers that prefer an easy, well-maintained trail that can be managed in a single evening, and hikers that go for days into the wilderness with backpacks, ropes, etc.

Bottom line, you can find what you're looking for in terms of hiking, whatever level of difficulty, type of trail, and type of vistas you're after.