Fremont Lookout — Saturday, Aug. 21, 1999

Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River

Absolutely spectacular, breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier yesterday (Sunday, 08/22/1999) due to cloudless skies. Excellent views of Berkeley Park, Grand Park and distant mountains (e.g., Mt. Baker). Trail is in excellent shape and 100% snow-free, although neighboring trails (e.g., Mt. Burroughs) still have some snow and there are still snow fields around Frozen Lake. Lots of purple lupine in the meadows (very fragrant when the wind blows the right direction), the occasional red paintbrush, heather, numerous other flowers. Mosquitoes and biting flies still bad in places, off and on, but strong breezes kept them mostly at bay. Chipmunks and ground squirrels at the lookout tower were absolutely shameless beggars. Bear activity visible near the stream in the valley below the trail (meadow near the trail to Berkeley Park). Watch for families of marmots living in the stone rubble along the trailside; they posed for extensive photo shoots. Reminder: don't feed the wildlife, first, because it's bad for them especially this year because of the late snowmelt (they still need to be able to get food the old-fashioned way), and second, because there's a $50 fine for doing so that not everyone knows about. Bring plenty of water (2 liters is reasonable): the heat, the dryness and the altitude can dehydrate you faster than you realize on a sunny day on the exposed rock slopes.