Grand Park via Lake Eleanor — Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2020

Jeno and I made a very early start this morning getting up to the parking area near Eleanor Creek before 6AM.   There were a handful of cars there all overnighters.    This summer we have been fortunate to hike with not many bugs out and about....well today that wasn't the case.  The bugs were all over us the moment we got out of the car.   The trip up to Grand Park you couldn't stop they were so bad but a funny thing happened, a breeze kicked up and they weren't as bad on the way out mid-morning.

Grand Park was spectacular this morning.   We had it to ourselves going out and coming back.  I will say the wildflowers in Grand Park look to be past their prime.  There is still some lupine and magenta paintbrush hanging on for now.   We got to the far end and took the northern loop trail down to the viewpoint of the White River drainage and where you can see Mt Rainier from a different perspective then the view you see in Grand Park.  

After a short stay at the viewpoint we headed back the way we had come in.   Make sure you turn around and look heading back as Mt Rainier will be on your backside heading out.  The trail is visible for a long ways in Grand Park so we didn't put our neck gaiters on until we had exited the park and started the long trek back to the car.   We saw our first hikers sometime after 9:00 AM right after leaving Grand Park.  From there to Lake Eleanor we saw a total of 17 hikers.    Most in small groups and one larger group of 6.  Every person had a mask on and stepped out of the way or we did for them.

The highlight of those 17 hikers was a young couple who was out running.  I asked if they were going up to Grand Park and they told us their route.  They were going a bit beyond Grand Park, like up to Mt Fremont!   So they had to run thru Grand Park, Berkeley Park, up the Wonderland Trail to the 5 way intersection and then out to Mt Fremont.   And then back the way they had come.  They estimated a 20 mile distance.  Jeno and I were in awe!   If you read this I hope you made it and had a great time.   You have our utmost respect for doing that.

From the lake back to the car we saw 24 hikers!   There were three larger groups of 4-5 among the 24.  Most people were masked or stepped off the trail.  Just a handful were without.  So we saw a total of 41 hikers today.  I've been coming up to Grand Park for years in the summer and that is by far the most I have ever seen up there.  Cars were parking along the road when we got back for quite a ways.

Speaking of the road....some good spots, some bad spots.  Jeno and I felt we have been on much worse.  Just take it slow and easy in the rough spots.

Stay safe everyone.  See you on the trail.    SR