Lots of great trip reports for this hike, so just a few additions here. The road to Mowich Lake is nicely graded with most potholes filled in, leaving only minor wash-boarding. You should be able to maintain a steady 30 mph depending on the stiffness of your suspension. Trailhead was jamb packed at 8:30 am on a Monday.
As recent trip reports attest, bugs are annoying but thankfully present only around Eunice Lake. Of course, "annoying" is relative. I've seen worse, so to me it wasn't bad enough to detract from enjoying the shoreline for an extended break. Away from the water, the bug population was noticeably less.
My hiking buddy, Keith, and I opted for a less crowded alternate to the Tolmie Lookout trail. Howard Peak sits just north of the lookout. To get to Howard, we hiked up the trail to the point where it reaches the saddle just below the lookout. We then descended on the north side through an open heather meadow. A way trail started us off in the right direction but soon petered out. When the meadow bottomed out, we headed right (northeast), staying high and near boulder fields at the base of the north slope of Tolmie. We worked our way up through an open band of low-growing trees and gained the south ridge of Howard Peak. From that point it was a pleasant, easy walk to the top of Howard. The north side of the summit has a large meadow with fantastic views of Tacoma and Seattle to the west, north to Glacier Peak, and east to the peaks surrounding Sunrise.
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