- Welcome to another small “exercise” summit located just southeast of the greater Seattle-Tacoma area. This former cinder cone located just outside of Enumclaw is home numerous trails on its north and south sides and a number of good views of the area. It should be noted that this summit actually has three separate name; Pinnacle Peak, Mount Peak and Mount Pete. Whatever you choose to call the mountain is great little backup peak when weather spoils your plans for larger mountains. Located just southeast from the town of Enumclaw this mountain of volcanic origin is a classic family hike. The peak stand 1000 feet above the valley floor and often make a good foreground peak to nearby Mount Rainier. There is very little in the way of views from the summit due to overgrowth, however at one time this peak had a lookout tower and the concrete base is still there today. As for today there are still section where there are views. Near the summit there is a view looking north. There is also a side trail from the summit are with a view off a ledge looking east. This peak is also very popular among local and among trail runners in the area.
- Messier 61 (Wikipedia)
Messier 61 (also known as M61, NGC 4303, or the Swelling Spiral Galaxy) is an intermediate barred spiral galaxy in the Virgo Cluster of galaxies. It was first discovered by Barnaba Oriani on May 5, 1779, six days before Charles Messier discovered the same galaxy. Messier had observed it on the same night as Oriani but had mistaken it for a comet. Its distance has been estimated to be 45.61 million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a member of the M61 Group of galaxies, which is a member of the Virgo II Groups, a series of galaxies and galaxy clusters strung out from the southern edge of the Virgo Supercluster.