Trail was plenty busy for a Sunday afternoon. Hiked past Eunice Lake onto Tolmie Peak Lookout. Great views from up there. Passed a couple of Park Rangers that were very friendly. Saw a few people swimming in the cold waters of Eunice Lake as we were looking down on the lake from the top of Tolmie Peak. Tons of beautiful wildflowers in bloom. The bugs weren't too bad. An occasional gigantic horsefly every now and then. I think the horseflies were part of the American Red Cross and were trying to get a donation of our blood. But they had no luck on us...... LOL Happy Trails!!!!

Three friends and I tackled this one for the first time today. The road to Mowich Lake is just plain awful... long and full of washboards and ruts. Plan on losing a few bolts and screws from your vehicle bouncing along on this one.

The trail itself was fairly easy given the sudden and swift elevation gain after reaching Eunice Lake. Mount St Helens quickly becomes visible to the south as you ascend. The view up at the lookout is fantastic. The only problem today? THE BUGS! Not only were they everywhere, but some of them were large enough that I wished I had a shotgun rather than bug spray. Fortunately most of them weren't of the biting kind and were mostly just an annoyance as they flew around our heads.

Got a late start up to Mowich lk to go to Tolmie Peak.I hike up to Eunice Lk.It was already hot at 10.00 am.I was not hiking so well because the day befor I hike bullion basin and did the loop to Silver creek.That hike was alot of fun but,I was breathing horse poo most of the way.Anyway I got up to Eunice lk and tried having lunch but,It was no good.The bugs were so bad I had to put my shirt over my face so I didn't inhail bugs.I even used bug spray!I finally got up to Tolmie Peak.Got a great view and got the hell out of there.I will come back in late August to hike Fay Peak and loop into Spray Park.Tell then It's a bugs world!

The Mowich Lake road was open, and we took advantage of this situation to hike to the Tolmie Pk. lookout. There was a trace of snow in a few spots on the road, but no chains were needed. The trail is flawlessly maintained from beginning to end. Where it follows the edge of Eunice Lk., there was an inch of snow, but no snow was seen elsewhere on the trail. Clear weather provided plenty of sunshine and outstanding scenic views from Tolmie Pk. There was some ice on the shaded north side of Tolmie, so we were dissuaded from attempting the route to Howard Pk. One scofflaw brought a dog to the summit of Tolmie, but we passed a ranger on the way out, so he was probably apprehended. Our car was broken into, so we recommend parking at the more populated end of the road near the campground, rather than at the TH. We encountered about 20 people on this trail, plus one dog. To comply with regulations, park visitors are advised to leave Cujo at home.

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.