Shared the trail today with the SISU 24 Ultra PNW event. We were made aware of the event from mcguire_ep's report 2 days ago and we contemplated sharing the trail, but eventually decided to go. It was fun seeing people doing an organized event for which they obviously enjoy. Saw about 18 ultra runners, as well as 5 hikers, and 2 bikers.
Found a spot along 410 with 4 other cars and headed out around noon and although it was in the 80s and bright, we knew we'd be under at least partial cover for most of the hike. Doused ourselves in Picaradin and sunglasses and headed up. A lot of work has been done since our last trip in Feb. The trail is completely clear of obstructions up to Palisades. It's a dry trek, but the tread is forgiving. A couple trickling creeks along the way if you need water or just a cold splash. We got lucky and had a breeze to accommodate us on the ascent. Not a lot to see along the way except to admire the solitude, save for the aforementioned runners.
Reached the Palisades junction and saw a work crew - Evergeen MTB - possibly. Took Palisades for about 0.4 miles, but could not get a clear view of Rainier. This section had a lot of downed trees and the crew said they were going there next. Headed back down and the breeze we had earlier was gone and it was warm! Back to the car to change and it was only there I got 4 bites - the rest of the hike was bug free.
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