Loop: White River Campground to Sunrise; to Burroughs Mountain peak; to Glacier Basin and above; to campground

Miles: 12.5 (11.5 by trail according to topographical map; ~1 mile off trail)

Elevation gain: ~3300’ ascent, same for descent (4100’ at camp; 7402’ Burroughs Mt peak)

July 11, 2015

Photos viewable at (recommend selecting ‘slideshow’ option):

http://s44.photobucket.com/user/baypiper/library/Rainier%20NP%20Sunrise%20Burroughs%20Mt%20Glacier%20Basin?sort=2&page=1

Soon after returning to camp after the first day’s hike (see below), to Summerland/Panhandle Gap/Indian Bar, the weather changed.  That day had been mild and mostly clear.  Through the evening the temperatures cooled by about ten degrees and a light rain began to fall at dusk.  I was glad for it; I was hoping for a cool, damp relief from the Texas summer.

Fog and mist were prominent by morning; they would remain all day, for every section of trail.  I would have no views of mountain peaks, including Rainier itself; sight distance was rarely greater than 100 yards.  The only exception was a brief glimpse of Goat Island Mountain, across the White River, near the end of the hike, and this was only partial.  This disappointed me only for the ascent to Burroughs Mountain; for the remainder, I found that the fog caused me to pay attention to smaller, nearer objects, which I tend to slight.  I became entranced by the small, hardy flowers along the way, and the ethereal silhouettes of trees and rocks.

The trailhead began at the northwest corner of the White River Campground.  I began at 6:20 in the morning.  The trail immediately ascended sharply and continued to ascend at greater and lesser degrees for the four miles to Sunrise, one of the most famous stops in the park.  This section passes through unbroken forest.  All was quiet and still, and I saw no other person until Sunrise, where I met a few backpackers who had stopped for the night at the Sunrise camp.

The trail continued to climb above Sunrise camp to the trailhead up to Burroughs Mountain (actually two modest peaks).  This would be my favorite trail of the day.  The trailhead is already above treeline; a marker notes the alpine, Arctic-like environment along the trail, advising hikers to avoid damaging the fragile plants.

The first mile climbs steeply, along the rocky mountainside.  About one mile in I passed the first snowfield of the hike; it appeared slowly and ghost-like out of the fog.  For three miles the trail (very faint in places), winds to Burroughs peak, through a brilliant diversity of small alpine plants and flowers clinging among the loose rock surface.  The rugged, treeless slopes, fading into the gauzy fog, reminded me strongly of places I’ve seen in Scotland.

From the top of Burroughs Mountain the trail quickly began descending, continuing to do so to the base of the trail to Glacier Basin.  Once back below timberline, the underbrush was thick and lush; through several sections of trail my pants and shoes were soaked from walking through wet fields of low plants (thanks to an evening rain, my shoes didn’t dry out until the next morning and my feet were chilled until I crawled into the sleeping bag that night).  Most of the elevation from the long climb was given through a long series of short, steep switchbacks.  Mid-way through these I came upon a pair of young black-tail deer; I encountered them for 15 minutes: as they moved straight down the mountain I would catch up to them mid-way through the switchbacks.

The .6 mile trail to Glacier Basin was steep and unremarkable.  Glacier Basin is a high point overlooking the InterGlacier Fork of the White River, which rushes through a broad, rugged valley of moraine left by Emmons Glacier, the largest glacier in the lower 48 states.  I continued above the basin for more than half a mile, hoping to reach Mount Ruth, but the fog and rain made navigation difficult  (I saw no trail, so was bushwhacking) and without much merit.

I walked leisurely (a wonderful change of pace!) for the last four miles, a pleasant descent on a wide, clear trail from Glacier Basin to the campground.  With a few hours of daylight left, and this being my last full day in the park, I enjoyed what was the most lush section of any trail I saw during my visit, passing as it does through one of the few temperate rain forests of the world.  The trail crossed at least two dozen streams, many falling through rock and undergrowth carpeted by moss and fern.

For a second consecutive day, I had hiked through some of the most remarkable and rapid transitions in climate and environment – forest to alpine to rain forest – that I have ever experienced.  Over coffee and a hot dinner, I thought fondly back over the day.