Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Sunday, Aug. 3, 2014

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

A perfect day for a hike, except for one tiny, annoying problem: BUGS. Seriously. We starting hearing about the bug problem about a mile in from someone coming down and then heard it from every other person we passed. And they weren't kidding. A bit before Eunice Lake, the mosquitoes (or whatever those brown bitey things are) started buzzing around us and kept getting thicker and thicker. By the time we got to the Lookout, there were swarms around our heads. Like everyone else, we snapped some pictures of the gorgeous view from the top but didn't linger for more than a few minutes. That was a bit of a letdown, but such is life. Even covered with DEET, I came out of it with 10+ bikes. Some people we saw were absolutely covered in welts. So, all of that said, I have no regrets. It was such a rewarding hike. The views from the top and at many points along the way were just jaw-dropping. It was a tough climb, and there is another climb toward the end of the return trip that sapped me, so be sure to bring plenty of water to get through that last push before getting back to the car. It seemed there were quite a few folks without adequate water, which surprised me. I drank The road is deeply potholed and rutted for much of the 11 miles...my low-riding sedan was not too happy, but those with higher-up cars seemed to be doing better. All in all, I highly, highly recommend this hike.