August 10, Wedneday: Seattle Center; August 11, Thursday: Sunrise

Mount Rainier at dusk, from the Sourdough trail.

Thursday: 

Distance: 8.96 km
Elevation gain: 900 feet
Packing: Approximately 16 pounds in backpack

Note: Hike began near Sunrise Visitor's Center on Mount Rainier, elevation 6,400 feet. It traveled the Sourdough Ridge trail to Frozen Lake, and then the Mount Fremont trail to the fire lookout at its end. From the Mount Fremont trail a herd of at least 70 mountain goats was visible. The uppermost portion of the hike was above treeline and along loose flat rock, beside a steep slope. The entire hike took place above 6,000 feet.
The purpose of the visit was to further test my camping method, as well as to observe the Perseid meteor shower -- which turned out to be below average.

Frozen Lake, from the Sourdough trail. The trail to the left (west) leads to the Fremont lookout.

Mountain Goats, viewed from the Fremont Trail.

Along the ridge of the Mount Fremont trail are heavily-weathered outcrops. . .

Cracked and weathered rock along the narrow "goat path" that leads to the Fremont lookout.

The Destination: The Fremont lookout at the end of a ridge overlooking this valley.

Wednesday:

Distance: 6.4 km
Elevation gain: 200 feet
Weight: 20# vest
Notes: Hiked from home to Seattle Center to meet Larisa's family; walked around center, ending at Monorail. Monorail to Westlake; Westlake to Pike Place Market, Metsker Maps for Hanoi Map and Vietnam book; from there home. Day was slightly overcast in late morning; by mid-afternoon skies were clearing. Wore light rain jacket.

Accumulated distance for 2016: 387.891 km
Accumulated elevation gain: 57.772 feet

August 7,8: Sunday, REI; Monday, Rattlesnake record

Rattlesnake Ledge Aug 8, 2016: overcast, cool, drizzly

The Record: It was likely the coolness of the day that made it possible to set a record on Rattlesnake Ledge. It wasn't my fastest speed, but it matched my recently broken record of 64 minutes, on July 28. That time I was packing 17 pounds; this time, 34 pounds.
Distance: 7.05 km (includes distance from sign at gatepost past trailhead to top.
Elevation gain: 1160 feet
Pace: I started at a rapid pace effortlessly, and maintained it for at least a mile; my pulse wasn't fast and I wasn't sweating for a least a mile. Later I started to sweat and regretted forgetting my sweat band; I remembered Mary Jane's observation that wrist wraps are good for a nose that starts to drip with sweat.

Heart Beat: It reached a high of 148 beats a minute. After one break I found recovering speed to be difficult, although that became easier after a second break and several hands full of trail mix. I reached a pace of 136 bpm, but my final ascent to the top was at a slow pace.

Hydration: Drank no water on way up; at the top drank V-8 and water. Mist became light sprinkles and I opened up my folding jacket, which I wore on the way down. With trekking poles I was fairly sure footed on the way down and made excellent time. Overall hiking time was 1:52.

Three-dimensional view of the hike, depicting low angle from the Southwest (?) (Map My Hike)

Satellite view of the path; the gray area in the center is the cliff face below the ledge. (Map My Hike)

The hike to REI

Jaunt to REI to purchase solar-powered lamps

August 7, afternoon.
Destination: REI to purchase lamps for Vietnam Trip
Elevation gain: 200+ feet
Distance: 3.95 km
Weight: 27 pounds including backpack and weight vest

Accumulated distance for 2016: 372.531 km
Accumulated elevation gain: 56,172 feet

August 4, Thursday: Heather Lake

We hiked up to Heather Lake, circled it and return to the car.

Washington Trails Association defines Heather Lake as a "scenic little lake located on the northeastern slope of Mount Pilchuck. The hike features a trail that can be steep, rocky and full of roots. There are long-since vanquished old-growth trees along the route as well as some old growth that are still thriving. The lake sits in a basin, flanked by steep mountains.
Distance: 7.36 km
Elevation gain: 1,034 feet
Highest point: 2, 430 feet
Weight: 22 pounds
Accumulated distance for 2016: 361.531 km 
Accumulated elevation gain: 54,812 feet

Seen along the way: 

August 3, Wednesday: Sunrise at Mount Rainier

Flower near a ridge along a hiking trail above Sunrise

Elevation gain: 500 feet at a minimum
Distance: Maybe 1.5-2 miles
Weight: 15 pounds
Accumulated distance for 2016: 354.171 km -- today's distance not added
Accumulated elevation gain: 53,778--today's gain not added.
Notes: This was more exploratory than a serious hike. The phone's altimeter was balky and bouncy when GPS figures were noted. Pressure readings seemed more consistent, but not necessarily reliable. Map My Hike readings showed an elevations from 6,351 to 6,715, slightly under 400 feet of gain. Of note is that. while Map My Hike's statistics seem highly unreliable, it still was able to record and store the hike data from this remote location, and produce a credible map that provided names for the positions depicted, to wit:

The  hiking took place at a Sunrise viewpoint as well as the actual Sunrise visitor station (this being the basis for the Map My Hike illustration), and the figures for elevation gain and distance are understated. Most important is the effect of elevation. At more than 6,000 feet I was short of breath and somewhat lethargic.

Getting to Rainier took a couple hours, but not an unreasonable length of time for a challenging hike. It makes sense to return, camp, and get serious hiking in for conditioning. Two other photos follow:

A clump of flowers beside a saddle overlooking a scarp valley

Sunrise lake, below the Sunrise lookout

July 31, Sunday: New Rattlesnake Ledge record

Elevation gain: 1,160 feet
Distance: 7.04 km
Time to top: 50 minutes -- 14 minutes less than last record
Time to return: 49 minutes
Weight: 18 pounds
Accumulated distance for 2016: 354.171 km
Accumulated elevation gain: 53,778
Notes: Intended to try for Mount Si, but forgot Discover Pass. Rattlesnake Ledge doesn't require the pass. The day was cool and I was wearing cutoffs. My body temperature probably contributed to the record climb.