Summit Lake — Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023

The last trip report is an excellent summary. This is an absolutely spectacular fall hike on a sunny day. The lakes are simply gorgeous with the leaves of the huckleberry bushes burning bright red. And when you reach the top - wowee! - there is Mount Rainier in all its glory. It’s a tremendous reward for braving the 6.5 miles to the TH on one of the worst backcountry roads I’ve ever traveled (and I’ve been on a lot of them). We have a car with 8 inches of clearance and we breathed a deep sigh of relief when it was done. Dappled sunlight makes it hard to see all the ruts and rocks. We drove to Beckler Peak the day before; that looked easy by comparison!