The flowers were
out in full force, the sky was clear blue, and the air was quite warm. A beautiful day in the park. The bugs were hungry! A few things to remember to bring: water, sunscreen, water, fly swatter, water. You wouldn't want to ruin a wonderful day with sunburn, bug bites and dehydration.

Lots of hikers,
lots of flowers, especially avalanche lilies, and no bugs. Bring a flower guide; there is a wide variety. Notice the heather color zones from 5600 ft. to 6600 ft.: first pink, then white, then yellow.

A great day hike wedged between
two days in the hurly-burly of Bumbershoot. Contrast was strong. Trail is in fine shape, clear and snow free 'til the very top, one set of switchbacks/climb to great views and Spray Falls. The falls and the view are both down short side-trails: take the trails, see both these wonders. The falls are stupendous and powered us up for the climb up to Spray Park. Only took three hours from S. King County to two miles or so up the trail and at the falls.. a nice quick get away, and a moderate hike. Just driving to Mowich lake would be a nice get-away, but having seen the falls, I can't imagine going that far and not hiking in. But make the climb up to Spray Park, too.. nice trail, waterfalls and a neat spring coming out the roots of a tree, nice alpine meadows at the top, great views made better by having to watch for them through holes in the clouds. The mountain teased us all day, showing bits and pieces. We went up to the 'top,' where the trail starts to descend toward Carbon River/Glacier, and turned up the ridge. Very nice views - one of the few other groups we saw were the skiers coming down the glacier, our post-lunch entertainment. The whole hike was, from the map, about 10 miles round trip and about 2000' total gain. Bugs moderate, flowers still out in the meadows, great views worth watching for. Note that there is no camping allowed in Spray Park. Somewhere off White Pass or in the North Cascades next, we think...

For the most part in the trail
is excellent condition. There still are some parts where the ground is very wet but nothing to be concerned about. What is of concen is that I noticed a lot of people using this trail who don't respect the environment (stomping through the meadows, picking flowers, etc.). It's getting more and more difficult to educate people about preserving the park without coming across as a crusader.