Brr. 41 degrees at the trailhead at 9:15, 48 when I returned at 2:30. The wind was up, and the clouds came and went but never lifted for long. Prospects of views were dicey, but I threaded the needle: left 2nd Burroughs in deep fog, then walked underneath it to arrive at 3rd Burroughs to wide open views of Winthrop Glacier and beyond. Rainier and Little Tahoma look so fine in their new snow! A couple of inches of which I walked in as I approached 3rd Burroughs. After 20 minutes at the summit, the clouds came back in earnest and it was time to go.
Ascending via Shadow Lake, four does browsed right next to the trail. Descending towards Frozen Lake, a big male black bear foraged in the meadow below, large enough to appreciate even at a great distance. Birds were few but they made me smile: a pale buteo and a very dark one, and a flock each of gray-crowned rosy finches and pipits.
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