Rattlesnake Ledge-5.20.12

Rattlesnake Ledge-
#7, 5 miles, 1200 ft

Rattlesnake ledge and/or ridge is not a hike that has held much appeal for me.  I have read many of the posts regarding it as the "Super Highway" of trails (along with Si).  It seems to be the most easily accessible full nature trail close to Seattle and the surrounding outskirts.  Even on a rainy Saturday the trail was bustling with hikers of all kinds.
About half way up to the ledge I am passing an elderly gentleman from Korea.  He immediately starts talking to me as if I knew him.  Its something I have started to appreciate as a solo hiker when you open your self up to stories from complete strangers.  I allowed myself to get swept up with the stories of his life as a child in Korea for about 15 min.  After which I thanked him and continued up at my original pace.

 After enjoying a moment I left the ledge and headed towards the East Peak.  Stepping back on to the trail I was nearly trampled by a group of 10 who were carrying umbrellas and not paying very close attention to who was down trail from them.  They clearly felt regardless of uphill vs down hill right-of-way that you were just in the way.  One of my least favorite aspects of this trail.

The Super highway of trails

 Soon after leaving the ledge the trail becomes a little more desolate.  Most casual hikers just come up for the short 2 mile viewing spot.  The only other person I ran into was a nice German man who stopped to chat me up about my favorite hiking spots.  After at least 45 min of standing in the rain and swapping stories I decided to make this my turn around point and join Chris.  We spent the next 4 miles chatting away like old friends.

That's the magic of trail bonding.  It doesn't take much before you have reached common ground and bonded over similar interests.  You cant even get this much social interaction from a bar in downtown Seattle.  It takes getting out into the woods to actually crack through the icy "Seattle Freeze".