Deadhorse Creek, Glacier Vista - Panorama Point, Skyline Trail Loop & Golden Gate — Friday, Sep. 1, 2023

With clouds bringing the summit views in and out, and with a few thousand of my closest friends, I hiked from the Jackson Visitor's Center at Paradise up the Waterfall Trail west to beautiful Deadhorse Creek Trail to Glacier Vista. From Glacier Vista, joined the much more crowded west Skyline trail to Panorama Point. Thank you social media for the crowd-sourcing. (The day before, I hiked Eagle Peak trail and saw no other hikers.) Then upper Skyline to Golden Gate trail, and down Golden Gate to Myrtle Falls and back along to Paradise east Skyline. Cold and windy at Panorama Point and glad to have a puffy jacket and parka. Warm and balmy back down at Paradise. A young black bear was browsing near Waterfall trail, and three deer were doing the same west of Deadhorse Trail. A lone mountain goat was wandering on slopes below Pan Point. Lots of marmots and chipmunks. Someone described seeing a fisher! Wildflowers are mostly going to seed, with some still in bloom, especially right at Paradise along the road. Skyline is getting loved to death,with lots of off-trail tromping killing vegetation and creating scars. Good to see the newly defined semi-circle lunch spots with big rock "benches".