Sunrise was an absolute zoo on Saturday. There weren't any lines to get in by the afternoon, but still lots of people out on the trails.

We went up to Fremont for sunset and ran into a herd of goats on the slope above Frozen Lake. The lookout itself was chaos so we stuck to the ridge before the lookout and enjoyed the views from there. Glacier Peak was especially prominent.

Bugs were pretty awful at the lookout, but it got much better when the wind came in.

Once the sun set we hiked down in the dark and took Sourdough Ridge toward Dege Peak and set up for some astro photography by the junction. There were a few snow patches on Sourdough Ridge, but nothing overly difficult to cross or skirt around. No need for micro spikes.

There were quite a few people doing astro photography... probably because it was prime time for the Milky Way and there were two meteor showers happening. Definitely be prepared with a wide lens (at least 20mm) to get the Milky Way and Mountain in the same shot. It's a difficult distance to capture with the mountain being so close.

Our little area was pretty quiet and we saw lots of shooting stars; a few climbing groups heading up the Mountain as well. Most of the star watchers seemed to be set up closer to the initial climb up to Sourdough. Bugs in the meadows below the ridge were awful. We got eaten alive even with DEET.

After getting astro we headed back down to the parking lot. It was still chaos. Photographers were trampling the meadows to get astro photos, people were cowboy camping in the parking lot, others had full on campfires in the parking lot, etc. I've never seen Sunrise this crazy, especially in the middle of the night.

This whole area is beautiful, but if you're looking for isolation and quiet avoid the weekend.

Just a short loop up towards Dege Peak and then back towards Fremont. Turned around at high mound of snow about a mile from the parking area towards Dege — recent ankle injury left me unwilling to risk it. Some additional snow on Sourdough, easier to get over. 

Mosquitos were out in force. 

Clockwise 5.5 mile hike from Sunrise, down to Shadow Lake, then up the Sunrise Rim Trail to First Burroughs, down to Frozen Lake and back to Sunrise via Sourdough Ridge Trail.  The trails have just melted out, with just a few little snow patches in the shady areas of trail to Shadow Lake, and one trenched snow patch of ~100 feet on Sunrise Rim trail up near 1st Burroughs with about 10-15 feet of dicey scree/snow to cross at upper end. Otherwise, these trails are in great shape. So are some proportion of the hikers, but by no means all of them. Lots and lots of people on Sourdough Ridge, and way less on Sunrise Rim trail. Meadows are emerging quickly from the snows. Wildflowers are a couple weeks from peak bloom. One fox. 5 adult mountain goats and one kid crossing the valley between 1st Burroughs and Fremont Lookout trail. 

The Sourdough Ridge Trail from Sunrise is in good condition, being used by lots of people in varying conditions.  One short trenched snowpatch to cross near Frozen Lake was not stopping anyone. A small iceberg was floating in the Lake. Wildflowers are just starting to emerge on meadows on the way to Frozen Lake - the snow melt just happened in the past week. So go lower to find flowers. Berkeley Park is lush and lovely. There are 5 or 6 level snow patches to cross in the upper part with boot track. Melting fast so be looking for actual trail location to avoid tromping emerging meadows at edge of snow. Not many humans. Two bears. Marmots. Blooming: Glacier Lillies, Avalanche Lillies, Magenta Paintbrush, Lupine, Western Anenome, Creeping Phlox, Cinquefoil, not at their peak yet.

After hiking to and setting up camp at the Sunrise walk-in, we decided to spend the day just enjoying the area. So, first we headed from camp to First Burroughs; then looped down to Frozen Lake and hung a left on the Wonderland to the junction with the Northern Loop; then descended into Berkeley Park; and finally, returned to camp via the Sourdough Ridge and Sunrise Rim trails, for a total of about 9.5 miles. Details of each section follow.

Sunrise Rim: gorgeous views of Tahoma/Rainier, as always. Trail is virtually snow-free, minor patches should be gone in a few days.

First Burroughs loop: ascending from Sunrise camp (as opposed to Frozen Lake), the trail is clear until about a quarter mile from the junction with Second Burroughs. There are a couple snow fields to cross. We had boots and poles; folks in tennis shoes were sliding a bit in the melting snow. I'd guess the snow should be melted out in a week, especially given the forecast for next week. Re: Second Burroughs, I'd definitely have boots and poles, as there is one snowy/melty/slippery stretch that is rather long. (See pic). We didn't go up there, but many people did. Note: we saw a group of folks off-trail on the tundra land near the junction with Second Burroughs. Please stay on the designated trails! Grr! Descending to Frozen Lake, there is one snowy patch on the trail, but it's well-defined and trodden.

Berkeley Park: from the junction at Frozen Lake, we headed towards Skyscraper Pass and the Northern Loop junction. There is still considerable snow in places along this stretch, so boots and poles were helpful. We did our best to hike where the trail actually is; there are some places where the boot tracks are not in keeping with the trail, and this damages the fragile meadowlands. Gorgeous views of The Mountain here, as well as surrounding peaks and, of course, the valley of Berkeley Park. Turning away from the Wonderland and down towards Berkeley and Grand Parks, we started hotting flowers. All kinds of flowers are out now! They seem to about to peak! There is no snow once you leave the Wonderland (or barely noticeable). We also saw a large bear grazing in the meadows about half a mile from Berkeley camp. We hiked down the valley till we found a pretty spot along the stream and amongst the wildflowers, where we had a snack before heading back up. Flowers in Berkeley Park: lupine, lavender penstemon, magenta paintbrush, western pasqueflower, glacier and avalanche lilies, heather, buttercup, phlox, spring beauty and hellebore, and lots of shooting stars! (See pic).

Sourdough Ridge and Sunrise Rim: we finished the day by making a loop back to camp, passing Frozen Lake and continuing along Sourdough Ridge till the junction down to "Sunrise Central", then hiking the Sunrise Rim for the second time that day to return to camp. Sourdough has a couple minor snowpatches, no problem. Also has the usual seasonal crowds. We saw every manner of hiker, from a young girl dressed in a chiffon party dress to weather-seamed old mountaineers to tricked-out young people sporting the latest in mountain fashion and high-tech gear. Love it all. Later in the shady cool of the evening, a young buck passed through camp. A perfect end to a perfect day. Happy hiking, Everyone!