Dege Peak — Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022

I hadn't made it over to Mt Rainier (except for Silver Falls) all year and, as Sunrise is closest & the Steven's Canyon Rd was closed, this was my last chance, so Ethan, Karen, Jonah, & I headed off for Dege Pk despite a forecast for widespread haze.  We made a pit stop at Chinook Pass about 9:30 or so.  The outhouses were open, but were a mess - garbage cans full & overflowing and no TP - but usable.  There was still plenty of places to park.  We arrived at Sunrise about 10:15 and also had no trouble finding a parking place.  I was slow on the uphill and took plenty of rests, so it took us about an hour and a half or so to reach the peak.  Rainier was a bit hazy when we started, but the higher the sun got in the sky, the hazier it became.  We didn't see any wildlife and there was no wildflowers nor fall color to speak of.  There were, however, lots of other people, especially young families, which is always nice to see, and lots of different languages being spoken.  When we crossed Chinook Pass on the way home, there were cars lining both sides of the road.