At 8 AM the parking lot at Sunrise had few cars. To begin our hike, Blue Towel and I sought out the most direct route to First Burroughs (B1.) This begins on the South side of the parking lot at a trail sign, but almost immediately turns right onto a gravel road (the trail itself offers a more roundabout route to B1, as does the Ridge Trail that begins next to the rest rooms.) Stick with the old road, and avoid the right turn up a wider gravel road that goes to a utility building. Soon, where the old road bears left, a well marked trail heads uphill toward Frozen Lake. That was our route today. On the way to the lake, a grouse appeared for us, standing completely still, apparently hoping not to be noticed. At Frozen Lake, which was not frozen, the trail continues uphill along the NW side of B1. Today, we crossed three short snow traverses. These did not seem problematical, and could have been crossed even without poles. From B1, we pressed on to B2, enjoying a close-up view of a basking marmot, and with views of Mt. Rainier becoming more dramatic with every step. We continued on the trail to B3, another 1.5 miles from B2. This begins with a drop of about 400 ft before resuming the climb to the summit B3 at 7,380 ft. We had B3 all to ourselves for over a half hour before a small number of additional hikers began to arrive. While we were there, a loud boom alerted us to a distant ice avalanche high on Mt. Rainier. We enjoyed the views of the mountain itself, and the highly crevassed Winthrop glacier far below us. To the west, Mystic Lake was visible in the trees. Distant views were somewhat restricted by haze, although we could make out Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak far to the north. The Olympics were not visible at all. On our return, we began to encounter more hikers beginning at the summit of B2, and we found a continuous throng of hikers between B1 and Sunrise. The parking lot, of course, had filled considerably since our early morning arrival. The park road from Highway 410 to Sunrise is being resurfaced (gravel and oil) and this made for slower speeds in general, plus a one-way section with a pilot car on our return. The ongoing road work adds a few minutes to the travel time.

I hiked to Third Burroughs on a sunny and very warm Wednesday morning. First got to Shadow Lake from Sunrise, then to Frozen Lake, then to First Burroughs. Started at about 9 AM from the parking lot, so didn't see too many people on the trails. There is still snow in 3 patches on the way up from Frozen Lake. People who took the trail from Shadow Lake to First Burroughs reported no snow patches on that trail. From second burroughs went further down, then took the right fork towards Third Burroughs. There is a snow patch there, but it is not steep all all. From Third Burroughs could see Winthrop Glacier all the way down, and could hear rocks falling, evidenced only by the dust below Russell Cliff. Saw 4 climbers go up Inter Glacier (below Steamboat Prow). Probably practicing, because by this time they are usually coming back down. Could not see anyone climbing down, but at home when zooming in on my pictures I could clearly make them out. If you go, see if you can spot them with your binoculars. Mt. Baker and Glacier Peak were quite visible too.

Ethan & I took a hike to 2nd Burroughs today. We made a clockwise loop on the Burroughs Loop Trail. There was no snow on the south leg of the loop to 1st Burroughs. There was high overcast when we arrived at Sunrise, but clouds settled over the top of the mountain as we hiked and by 1:00 or so they were down almost to Steamboat Prow. We ate lunch in a cool breeze overlooking the saddle between 2nd & 3rd Burroughs. There were a couple of large patches of snow on the way down to Frozen Lake, but they both had a distinct trail across them and most folks were managing just fine, though I was sure happy for my ice axe. There was lots of Dwarf Lupine in bloom up in the tundra of Burroughs. There were lots of people out despite the cloudy weather, including a large group of teenagers from Burma. English almost seemed to be a minority language today. Thanks to the cool windy weather, there were no mosquitoes.

This great hike disappeared from the "50 hikes in MRNP" about 20 years ago. From Second Burroughs (see MRNP hiking guidebooks) descend westward on a well-maintained trail several hundred feet to a fork. The signed left fork drops down to Glacier Basin. Follow the unsigned right fork up a steep slope. There was one lingering snowfield, well-booted and easily crossed. At the summit find your favorite rock and enjoy views of Winthrop Glacier, The Mountain, and look down on Mystic lake, Skyscraper Mtn and Mt. Fremont. On the return we were treated to a herd of 53 Mountain Goats in the meadow near Frozen Lake.

Gorgeous hike. Decided to get out of the 90+ degree heat in Seattle and head to Mount Rainier. Turned out to be a fee-free weekend at the park, so the parking lot was crowded at around 11 a.m. Hit a couple of dicey snow patches on the way to the First Burroughs. Would have preferred to have trekking poles crossing this steep snow field. Saw a lounging marmot on the way to the Second Burroughs. Lots of people - but everyone was friendly and happy to chat. Lots of people stopped for lunch at the Second Burroughs. The view of Glacier Basin from the Second Burroughs is incredible. Some fat chipmunks were scouting for food at the Second Burroughs. We debated for a time whether to hike to the Third Burroughs - over a mile of down then up to get there. We decided we might as well after the long drive. It was definitely worth it. I absolutely recommend extending your trek to the Third Burroughs. We saw mountain goats on the way. The view is spectacular from the Third Burroughs - views of the Winthrop Glacier and tremendously closer to the mountain itself. Saw another marmot on the way back. Also saw a brown bear quite a ways away in the valley - happy I brought the binoculars. Great hike - highly recommended.