Hiked on a Monday and was happy that the trail was in good shape and didn't feel too crowded. Most people had masks, better than most other hikes I've done during this time. Mostly I am writing to give more clarity on the Alta Peak portion of the trail, see below.
The hike through the forest on the way to Rachel Lake has a lot of ripe thimble and huckleberries. Nice for snacking on the way down and out.
The hike up to Rachel Lake is a climb. It's clear that it's a popular trail as there are some points where you could get a little confused. People have clearly put some effort into putting branches down to keep you on the right path. The lake is simply stunning and nice to wade in. I found the rocks to be quite sharp and wish I'd had a pair of sandals to get further in.
On to Alta, the climb continues with a few breaks on ridges. The views just keep getting better. I was not sure what to expect of scrambling and knife edge from the trail description and earlier trip reports. For the most part the ridge feels wide enough that I didn't feel like it was a knife edge. There were a few points where the trail is quite narrow, but only spans of a few feet at a time. We did some scrambling towards the very end of the hike, getting to the final peak of Alta. There are a few "false" peaks and as you keep going it gets more and more comfortable to use hand holds rather than feet and hiking poles. Not a technical climb but also people without any scramble experience might feel out of their comfort zone.
We could see Rainier, Adams, and Shuksan from the top! Beautiful hike, highly recommend
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