Went up for my second attempt of the year on Friday morning. 4 bus loads of soldiers waiting to start a training exercise were surprise companions at the trailhead.
Trail conditions were good all the way up. Thankful the snow I encountered at the end of May had finally melted. Wayfinding a little challenging after the first few miles, past the meadow. Gaia GPS still shows the unmaintained trail (due north) which requires some bushwhacking. Better off heading northwest towards the unmaintained winter route up the ridge, then turning right at the signpost (which I did not discover until my trip back down).
Got about 10 minutes of Mt. Rainier view at the top with lunch before a cloud front rolled in. Amazing views in all directions before the western side was completely whited out.
On the way back down, hit the renowned vault toilet. Met a Forest Service crew on the way up with replacement panels for it, so my photo may be the last one taken of the previous iteration.
Overall an excellent hike and well worth doing, but hard work and not for the inexperienced or unprepared!
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