Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake — Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

What do you get when you combine a short hike with a scenic lake and a lookout tower? That’s right, throngs of tourists! I counted 35 in twenty minutes, and that was on the trail, not at the lake or the lookout. At least I was the first one to hit the trail, so I had a little solitude on the way up. Or maybe I shouldn’t say “on the way up”, since it was actually up, down, up, down, etc. At least it was a short trail. A few pointers for the adventurous types who are thinking of going past the lookout. The last viewpoint at the end of the ridge looks impossible to access from some points along the way. Don’t get discouraged though. It’s never harder than a class 3 scramble. Howard Peak and Arthur peak, however, just don’t appear to be worth the trouble. While probably not all that difficult, it looks like route finding, bushwhacking, and elevation loss are considerable, unless there was some easy route that I missed. A reminder: voices carry remarkably well in a basin like the one occupied by Eunice Lake. Even at the lookout, voices of lakeside hikers can be heard. I imagine the frustrated father yelling at his kids would be horrified to know dozens of people could hear him. Or maybe he’s beyond embarrassment. Hard to say. Highlight of the trip: watching kids in shorts and T-shirts engaging in snowball fights, utilizing the few shady patches where last week’s snow hasn’t melted yet.