The slight break in the heat provided the perfect opportunity to take some visiting family to hike on Mt Rainer. Coming from Albany, this was a unique experience for them. We chose the Glacier Basin partly because a lot of the trail is in under the tree canopy and out of the direct sun.
Since we were going to be hiking close to the mountain, where the views upslope would be somewhat foreshortened, we first went up the road towards Sunrise to provide a nice view of the whole mountain and snap the obligatory selfie with Rainier as a backdrop. We then drove down to the White River campground and parked in the general lot for hiker and climbers.
The trail out of the campground is gently uphill, wide, and smooth for most of the way up to where the Emmons Moraine trail cuts off to the left. We took that trail and I would highly recommend it to someone considering this hike. It crossed the near stream and then climbed up to the crest of the glacial moraine. The trail then follows the crest of the moraine for quite a way, affording multiple spots to look out and appreciate the scope of the glacier's valley and the ice fields above it. The snout of the glacier was easily visible, with an ice cave where the meltwater streamed out from under the ice. Above that and further away there were multiple waterfalls cascading down from the icefields above.
After a while the moraine trail turned away from the edge and while it continued for a ways, it got thin and brushy. Soon we turned around, returned to the original turnoff, and then continued on the trail towards Glacier Basin. From there the trail continued another couple of miles up to the wilderness campground and beyond. There are a few rocky sections and some roots, but mostly fine trail. The last half mile leading up to the camp got a bit steep, and we slowed down accordingly. Right after the campground there were some trails that accessed the rocky streambed, where we took time to eat lunch and rest.
Between side trips, pictures, and going uphill on a relatively hot day it took us about 4 hours to reach our turnaround spot. The trip down took much less time because the trail was well groomed and we could walk down without needing to watch our every step. It took about 1 1/2 hours to return to the car. Total metrics for the day were 9.5 miles, 2500 feet gain, 27,000 steps on my fitbit, 3 liters of water. On the drive home we treated ourselves to ice cream in Greenwater. It was a nice hike and I think the relatives will have good memories of their visit.
I should mention that the bugs early on were not a problem, but after the Emmons Moraine trail the flies were annoying...enough so that I put on some repellant. I only got bit a couple of times, though, so that was ok. At the Glacier Basin camp there was a sign directing you to the toilet, but I never actually checked it out.
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