We watched as the sunrise cast a golden glow on the mountain before heading to Skyline by way of Glacier Vista. In the distance we could hear the periodic crash of ice falling on the glacier. At Pan Point conditions were clear enough that we could see Mt Adams, Mt St Helens and even Mt Hood. This despite the forest fire haze (mostly settled in the foothills). Swaths of red visible along Alta Vista trail far below.
There are a few pink monkeyflower and aster clumps on Upper Skyline but otherwise all the wildflowers have faded. Despite our early start we only saw one marmot (at Upper Skyline trail) our entire hike. We overheard someone saying they had spotted a mama bear and 2 cubs.
We descended by way of Golden Gate. Fall color is also starting to peak in the meadows there. Always a glorious sight!
It was a fee-free day so the trail was quite crowded by the time we finished the hike. Logged 4.75 miles altogether.
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