Camp Muir — Monday, Aug. 29, 2011

Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise

Guess you could call this a followup to my Aug 24, 2011 report for this hike. I was on the trail at 9am and at Camp Muir by 2pm. The weather was great but very different from Aug 24. About 30 miles from the park I drove out from under the low cloud cover that I had been under since leaving Olympia. Started the hike under blue skies with clear views to the east. The snow had melted noticeably from the trail to Pebble Creek but there were still long stretches that were snow covered and slick. The wildflowers near the snowline were all fresh and new. At about 8000 ft elevation the clouds moved in below to cover the valleys and lower peaks. The wind picked up and the temperature dropped making the exertion of the climb a lot more bearable. Strange thing is that at Camp Muir there was no wind and it was warmer than lower down. The trip down through the clouds took a little less than 2 hours. Took advantage of the slide shutes. From Paradise parking to Camp Muir: 5 hours Hike/slide down: 2 hours Hike age; still just shy of 62