After deciding against Noble Knob, we drove up to Suntop. We had to park along with the 6 other cars 0.6 miles from the parking lot as the snow was impassable. It was deep and soft so most vehicles would've gotten high-centered and/or lost traction.
2 cars left as we started and we passed one couple and a group of 6. The trek up the road was more effort then the trail itself. There were a few bare spots on the road as well as some compacted snow. The trail had minor snow, most of which allowed travel over with only a few inches of sinking. We had the top to ourselves and stayed long enough to take photos. The wind was strong and felt good on this warm day. The bathroom was open, but not stocked.
We headed back down and continued on 1183 across the road. It didn't look like anyone had been here in awhile. We cleared a lot of debris off the trail. The snow on the road ended about 100 feet up, which made the climb easier. Snow started again around 0.6 from the road. At first it was similar to the climb to Suntop, but then became much more firm and crunchy. No postholing for us, but clearly the elk traveling through did. There were some 2 foot deep tracks along the way. I wonder if elk sound their surprise like humans do. It felt like we were moving really slowly.
As we got about 1.0 mile from the road, there was compact snow/ice on the trail and we had a couple minor slips. Headed up to the ridge above the trail for the peek-a-boo view of Rainier and headed back. The texture of the snow reminded me of meringue - very stiff peaks. It made running a bit precarious as there was no give to the snow and my ankles would roll slightly one way or the other. The run back down the road was much more fun as it was smoother and had a lot more give and cushion.
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