Mount Finlayson Loop Trail

A couple weekends ago, Andrew and I headed out to Elk Lake which has a very easy (i.e. level) 10 km loop hike. I ran the loop once while Andrew ran it twice. This worked well so we decided to do another similar outing. 

This time, I didn't do any running as the route up and around Mount Finlayson is fairly steep and involves a bit of scrambling near the top. The route is part of the Finlayson Arm ultra race and, while Andrew has no interest in running the actual race, he's interested in the race course. Today, he ran/scrambled to the summit, down the other side, almost to Holmes Peak, and then back along the lower Mount Finlayson loop. 

Andrew ready to start running. Mt. Finlayson in the background.

Meanwhile, I started out on the "stair master" and hopped over a couple small creeks before getting to the scrambling. 

45 minutes later, I stopped on the summit for a while and basked in the sunshine and enjoyed the gorgeous views! Mount Baker and the Cascade Mountains in one direction; the Salish Sea and Olympic Mountains in another. 

On the way down the other side and around the loop, I was very happy that I'd downloaded a map from  TrailForks! There were many little unmarked side trails and the "loop" trail was not always the most obvious one. Both Andrew and I checked our gadgets several times to make sure were were on the right path. 

All in all, a great outing on a beautiful day!