Chair Peak

    Granite Mountain

    Low Mountain

    Melakwa Lake

    Olallie Lake

    Silver Peak

Melakwa Lake and Vicinity, Winter
        Take I-90 east, Denny Creek/Asahel Curtis exit, left over freeway, right at stop sign, under freeway and immediate left, drive to end of plowed road at bridge over Denny Creek, park on shoulder, elevation 2200 feet?.  USGS quadrangle map Snoqualmie Pass; study the topography and route carefully.
        You should be able to hike on the packed snow 1-4 miles, depending on snow conditions.  Follow roads to trail head, trail winds through woods, crosses Denny Creek on high bridge, under freeway, cross creek on snow bridge, up through trees to large clearing below cliff bands, assess avalanche danger NOW, traverse right and up past trees, traverse horizontally well above TREACHEROUS slope leading into creek bottom (nice view of Keekulwee Falls), switchback up short steep stretch avoiding death plunge into upper falls, flat valley approaching cirque headwall, more assessment of avalanche danger NOW.
        The standard approach to Hemlock Pass crosses the creek, ascends west and up through scrubby trees (leave summer trail at this point) staying high above difficulties  to enter a very small valley/notch (see topo map) that eventually brings you to an overlook peering down onto frozen Melakwa Lake.  Elevation here around 4800 feet asl.  Good job!
        You can drop down to the lake and continue across and up the valley between Kaleetan and Bryant.  About 1 mile further is Melakwa Pass at 5340 feet elevation.
        Ascending to Hemlock Pass directly via the (hidden) summer trail  is usually not recommended, unless snow conditions are good or there is a beaten path.  The continuation descent/traverse/ascent from Hemlock Pass to Melakwa Lake along the summer trail is also tricky, unless there is a beaten path or good snow; just a bit too steep in the timber there.
        Alternative descent (not usually recommended as an ascent route; know what you're doing here, before attempting this): from 4800 foot knoll, drop 300 feet southwest down to Hemlock pass/saddle, then down steep slopes (avalanche...) in timber towards open valley floor, staying to the right of fall line to avoid rocky outcroppings.
        I usually snowshoe, but sometimes conditions are good for just walking in big plastic boots.  I've skiied this route as well, you want not too much powder on a nice base with cold weather = low avalanche danger and short skiis for negotiating the timber and steeps.
    Depending on how much of this trip you do (you can turn around at any point, like DUH!), Melakwa Lake is very easy to moderate.  Round trip to knoll above lake about 10 miles, leave at 7:30, back at 1:30.

Low Mountain, Winter
    See Melakwa Lake trip.  From Hemlock Pass at head of cirque basin, ascend timber left/south, fighting around small rock outcrops, about 500 vertical feet up to highest point on ridge.  Good job!

Granite Mountain, Winter
       Take I-90 east, Denny Creek/Asahel Curtis exit, left over freeway, left at stop sign, drive 100 yards to parking area, elevation 2200 feet.  You should have USGS quadrangle map Snoqualmie Pass; study the topography and route carefully.  Bring your ice axe and know in advance how to use it; sometimes snowshoes and/or crampons are required.  And the shovel.
        Follow the trail up and left/west through timber to trail fork, go right uphill, switchbacking following summer trail (should be beaucoup footprints).  4 to 6 switchbacks above first encounter with alder-filled avalanche gulley, you will leave the summer trail and ascend more or less straight up through thinning timber.  DO NOT cross or enter the gulley unless you know the slope conditions stone cold, otherwise you will end up like Haley Joel Osment, and see DEAD PEOPLE, which will be YOU.  People have died in this gulley.
        As the trees get really thin, the slope gets quite steep, and you may encounter the first crux, wading through armpit deep soft snow.  Bring your snow shovel (no kidding).  Once the open slopes are obtained, the snow usually firms up and walking is easier.  Sometimes the slopes ice up, and you may need crampons.  The crown of the windswept ridge often exposes boulders (yep, granite); stay on the right til you are past the tall snag, then cross left and finish the ascent with another short wade through soft snow possible.  Treat the fire lookout  with respect.  Summit just below 6000 feet.   Good job!  Great views of Matterhorn-like Kaleetan to the NE and Rainier to the south on good weather days.  The descent is enlivened by a couple of glissades, if you have your axe and good snow conditions.  But watch out for buried stumps on the glissade; I whacked one with my chest one year, and couldn't breathe for a week.   Stay out of the gulley, mullethead.
        I have turned back several times because of howling arctic winds accelerating over the ridge.  I  turned back once on bullet ice. This is a good conditioner with plenty of elevation gain and quite variable weather and snow conditions, a great learning ascent for beginners.  But don't be afraid to turn back.  Leave 7:30, return to cars around 1:00.
    Boarders work the slopes in the late spring, when the snow is soft and avalanche danger is low(er).

Olallie Lake, Winter
   Take I-90 east, Denny Creek/Asahel Curtis exit, left over freeway, left at stop sign, drive 100 yards to parking area, elevation 2200 feet.  You should have USGS quadrangle map Snoqualmie Pass; study the topography and route carefully.  Snowshoes or if conditions ideal, skis.  Late spring, just walk.
    Follow the trail up and left/west through timber to trail fork, go left/west, ascending with occasional switchbacks.  Eventually you will crest out on the trail overlooking a pass/saddle (about 200 feet below) with a view due west of open slopes on the north side of Pratt Mountain (interesting possibilities here).  The trail descends [I can't remember how many] feet to Pratt Lake; yuck, I hate climbing back up on the way out.  Return same route.  Good job!  5-6 hours or so round trip.
    I did this a long time ago on skis and have a poor recollection of the details, especially avalanche hazards; I believe there at least two wicked gulleys you must cross.  Evaluate avalanche dangers carefully.  Bomber run down the trail section dragging the uphill ski like a sea anchor.

Chair Peak, Winter, 6238 feet
        Take I-90 east to Snoqualmie Pass and exit to Alpental.  Drive to the uppermost parking lot (elevation 3240 feet); an early start will assure you of a parking spot, busy weekends can be hell.  Your choice of weapons (boots, snowshoes, skis, etc.) will depend upon snow conditions, which must be evaluated very carefully for avalanche hazard; like the King Crimson song says, this is a dangerous place.  See end of description.  USGS Snoqualmie Pass.
        The approach starts on the groomed road/ski trail that goes past the water tower, following the South Fork of the Snoqualmie River.  In a half mile or so, the trail forks, upper, only-sometimes-groomed ski trail-on-the-hillside to left and lower always-groomed road/trail in the valley to right.  If avalanche danger is elevated or unknown, stay low.  In either case, you will end up below some cliff bands on a moderate east facing slope that must be ascended/traversed.  WATCH FOR AVALANCHES.  I have whacked up the south facing hillside through the small trees, which offers more snow stability.
        Ascend to the timbered flats, which extend to a small bowl/cirque with a knob or two and what looks like a snow covered pond, which is little Source Lake, elevation 3950 feet, the usual turnaround point for many.  Visibility from here is often poor, but your next move is to switchback up the north end of this bowl/cirque and obtain the broad ridge (4400 feet) which separates the Source Lake Bowl from the Snow Lake depression.  On a clear day, you can look down down down into Snow Lake.  Now ascend west with tight switchbacks the broad open slope/ridge that rises towards the Chair massif.  There is a lovely small basin at the foot of the Chair massif at the end of this ascent; many snowshoe or ski parties make this their destination and turnaround.  The Footstool, a prominent rock in this basin, is often buried in snow.
        For those interested in a winter ascent of Chair (elevation 6238 feet), a couple of route choices are available (see Beckey Brown, and Dallas Kloke's Selected Winter Climbs in the Cascades).  Bring crampons, tools, a mix of snow and ice pro, rope, the usual.  The classic summer route leads out of the Footstool bowl up one or more of the gulleys on either side of the Thumbtack to the left/southwest, then ascends the west side; tricky in winter.  To gain the northeast buttress or the north face routes, forge up the steep slope straight ahead to the next ridge crest (5460 feet), or if the snow is deep, finesse that puppy by ascending right  on a short slope to a notch in the ridge, then traverse up and around, partly on the backside.  The southeast buttress is not too steep but does have plenty of exposure.  The north face is steep.  I haven't done any of these (yet) in the winter, though I've swam through mashed potatoes to get to their takeoffs a couple of times.

Coda:  A couple of years ago, I skiied up to the Source Lake bowl in marginal conditions.  Coming back to the east-facing avalanche slope, I found my tracks partially wiped by small sloughs.  I could hear some gentle little hisses in the fog.  I bombed down to the valley and exited via the safer groomed road.  The next day I read about the search for two missing climbers above the bowl, and the day after, about the discovery of their bodies in avalanche debris.

Silver Peak, winter, 5605 feet
        The usual approach is to take the Hyak ski lift up to the groomed trails, for a puffball start in crowds that rival the Wasa Loppet.  Here's an alternative that avoids some of the hubub some of the time, and makes for good party conversation ("you did WHAT?").  This is a snowshoe trip, but once you've done it, you will want your skis too.  Study the Snoqualmie Pass quadrangle carefully; most of the land marks mentioned here are on the map.  Low snow makes this one more enjoyable. Get an early start, this can end up being a long day on snowshoes.  USGS Snoqualmie Pass and Lost Lake quadrangles.
    Take I-90 east to the Denny Creek exit, but turn right as if you're going to Lake Annette.  Park where you can; elevation 1920 feet.  Follow the trail from the snowed-in parking lot up through the trees, crossing Humpback Creek on a bridge, and then up to the old railroad grade (you can shortcut this last part by ascending the short clearcut slope below the electric lines to the railroad grade).  Take the railroad grade east towards the pass about 3/4 of a mile.  Not too long before you hit the tunnel, you will see a fairly large cut in the muddy hillside just past a steep sided stream valley (Olallie Creek); you should be below the power lines again.  This is the routefinding crux.  Ascend the chossy muddy/rocky slope on the right using loosly anchored vegetables as direct aid (a British Very Severe).  At the top of this cut is the end of a logging road; ascend to join the groomed trails! (part of the PCT) and turn right.  In a few minutes, on a clear day, you'll be able to look across endless stump filled clearcuts (veiw courtesy of the Forest Circus) to the summit of Silver Peak.  This stump field can be a bummer in a whiteout.
    You can see the main big ridge crest coming north (right) off the peak.  There's a forested lumpy spur ridge coming east (left) off the main ridge in the foreground, with a snow filled swale where the two connect.  That's your objective.  Tramp or ski across the barren country on a beeline.  Work your way up through the trees into a little valley/bowl and ascend up an open but steepening gulley to that snowfilled swale.  Avoid the cirque basin on the north face.  From here, traverse up onto the main ridge (some exposure, bring your axe or arrest grips) and then fight your way along the main ridge, often on the west/far side, to the summit.  Good job!
    7-8 miles roundtrip and 3700 feet of elevation gain make this a substantial trip; get that alpine start.