You finished your homework and decided to go to bed decently early. Since you have late classes the next day, you think you can squeeze in an early morning hike. Fast-forward eight hours and your alarm is going off, again (you don’t recall hearing it the first few times.) You hit the snooze button a few too many times and now you’re worried about having time to go on that super-cool you hike you had planned (since you wouldn’t skip class on a sunny spring day.)
Here’s a hike to keep in your back pocket for that exact kind of morning: Alger Alp (South Route). The hike takes a little less than two hours to complete and is only a 15-minute drive from Western, making your adventure an easy two and a half hours.
I did this hike on a sunny Saturday morning before work and I’m glad I did. It was a small but steady incline, making it a decent, but not challenging workout. The view at the top was nice, but not spectacular. However, on a bright day like this one, anything is just a little bit better.
The trail was wide and mostly gravel, great for trail runners and bikers! It wasn’t crowded, which is unusual for hiking on Saturdays. There were some cool light leaks through the trees because I still went early enough to catch the sun just after it had risen.
Photo by Katie Rickel
Other than that, there wasn’t much to look at. If it’s a clear day, you can catch a distant view of the peak of Mt. Baker and at the top there’s a view of the Puget Sound, behind the sight of the freeway. You can hear traffic throughout the entire hike, which is the down side.
I wouldn’t suggest this hike unless you’re on a time crunch, but really want to hit the trails. Or, if you’re really out of shape, this is a great place to start. I would also avoid this trail if it were overcast or rainy. It’s high enough to get above some morning fog, but with any weather worse than that, I’d definitely suggest skipping it.
Solutions by The State News
