Burroughs Mountain — Thursday, Aug. 16, 2001

Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River

A large group of us hiked to the second & third Burroughs Mountain, above Sunrise. Despite being a Seattle native, I've only been to MRNP twice before, and the last time to Sunrise was in 1975. It was just as beautiful as I remembered it, although the crowds have really grown. The sun was out and the views of Emmons Glacier were stupendous. Also visible were smoke plumes from several Cascade fires way off in the distance. I had forgotten that the wildflowers would still be blooming this time of the year. The colors were brilliant. We saw several marmots, and one solitary mountain goat on the east side of second Burroughs. We saw a herd of 10-12 mountain goats slightly to the west of third Burroughs. The specifics: trail conditions were perfect, no snow, water, mud, or anything else on the trail. Upon returning to the parking lot I was amazed at the number of cars - it looked like the parking lot at Safeco Field.