Our cheerful group of five met up at 5:30 a.m. in Federal Way. This was my first Hike-a-Thon hike of 2015, and I was fortunate to join two adventuresome couples for this 20+-mile trip. We dropped a car at the Huckleberry Creek trailhead on FS 73, then continued up to the Eleanor Creek "back-door" trailhead. Boots on trail about 7:15. Lake Eleanor was bug-free and glowing in the morning sun. We had Grand Park all to ourselves except for a backcountry camper who hadn't tucked their bright yellow tent into the woods quite far enough. We took a short detour on the Northern Loop Trail to enjoy the views high above Winthrop Creek. Soon after Berkeley Park we began to encounter the crowds. Several "Hellos!" later we reached the junction with the Huckleberry Creek trail and made the short climb above Sourdough Ridge to linger long over lunch and fresh fruit. It was all downhill from there! There's a massive cirque about a mile in that's well worth a side trip. Forest Lake Camp was buggy, and we imagined it's an easy permit to get for the single campsite. Still, there's a bear pole, toilet and nearby water source. All the trails are in good shape and obstacle-free. Sightings on the Huckleberry Creek trail included a deflated mylar balloon and several wads of used toilet paper not even a foot off the trail. Please remember to Leave No Trace! Our leader cut two of us loose just before the patrol cabin to retrieve the car from our starting point at Eleanor Creek. We were about ten hours on-trail, including the leisurely lunch. Burgers and beers at HopJack's in Bonney Lake made a perfect end to a long day.

I got to take a friend from Florida out to Rainier for the first time and we did Burroughs Mountain. Stunning views all around, even if the flowers are very much on the way out. The Rainier views are incredible and with binoculars we spotted a few climbing parties. Highly recommended hike.

My wife and I drove down to Sunrise at Mt. Rainier to take advantage of the near full moon and watch the sunrise. I have wanted to do this for close to a year now and it did not disappoint. We left Seattle around 12:30am and made it up to the Sunrise Visitor Center lot around 3:15. I took some extra time on the drive down SR-410 due to the darkness (even with a bright moon) and the amount of wildlife we encountered trotting along or across the road. We saw 3 elk and double digit deer - thankfully none of them jumped out at inopportune times - so definitely be cautious if you head down there at night. We hopped on the trail a little after 4:00 and made it to the view point just beyond Frozen Lake where we decided to stop. The trail is completely snow free but did have several jagged rocks sticking out in several spots on the way out. We used headlamps for the first part of the hike but didn't need them once we got out of the treeline and out along the rocks. One other couple passed us not far from the start of the trail but those were the only other hikers we saw until we got back near the visitor center. If you want a national park to yourself for a while (especially considering how busy this trail usually is) I absolutely recommend doing this. The transition from moonlight to sunlight on the snow on the summit was spectacular. We got back to the car around 6:30 and several other cars had pulled into the lot. Made it back to Seattle at 9:30 and slept the rest of the day. When we do this again we'll consider driving down the night before and either camping or sleeping in the car.

We took some small detours by first going up to the Sourdough Ridge Trail, and following that to Frozen Lake. This trail is essentially snow free and in great shape. Wildflowers are starting to bloom here, but certainly it will still take a while before they reach their full glory. From Frozen Lake we went the Mt Fremont Lookout, which is also snow-free. We enjoyed some awesome views, and then went back to Frozen Lake. Initially I was planning to do the First Burroughs, but the trail still crosses some steep snow (see pics), and my guets are not really into that, so we followed the Wonderland Trail back instead. There were a couple of snowfields left here that should be fine for almost all hikers. This trail then continues with the Sunrise Rim Trail, which had a lot of glacier lillies, and a great view of the Emmons Glacier. It was clear that flowers were not peaking here yet, so I briefly took my guests to Tipsoo Lake, where the wildflowers are currently gorgeous. Beautiful Avalanche Lillies, Paintbrush, Glacier Lillies, and Lupine.

Went up opening day second car, what a low snow year! I'm writing this up late, so i'm sure most of snow is gone now. Saw pika and tons of goats! No marmots this trip. Went down towards skyscraper trail more snow fields to cross that way. Headed back service road, no snow! Will be back for more... Score of the day was goats!