Mount Rainier first fall snow hike 2019

A deer browses near the path between White River Campground and Sunrise Visitor's Center.

Woke around 8 a.m.; packed almost from scratch for a day at Rainier. Weather report said 10 percent chance of rain and maybe 10 degrees for a high. It was warmer than that when I arrived, but overcast, and the road to Sunrise hadn't been cleared of snow. Maybe another day, but today I was not going to get to Sunrise by car.

I hiked part way from the White River Campground, gaining about 320 meters according to my phone App. That comes out to about 1,000 feet. I was a bit winded, possibly due to long underwear restricting my legs. I turned around when the snow on the trail made ascending dicey. I should have packed Yak Trax.

Stats for the day:
Distance: unk
Conditions: Overcast, snow on trail
Load: 13 pounds
Elevation gain: 1,000 feet 

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 234.1 miles 
Elevation Gain: 72,178 feet

View from the bridge just before the campground turnoff

This campground tree, hollow from the stump up, was likely cut as a preventive measure.

A glimpse of the trail. Snow closed over it at elevation.

Note on White River Campground:

Located five miles up from Highway 410, the White River Campground sits at 4,232 feet, making it the highest of the three drive-in campgrounds at Mount Rainier. The high elevation often makes this the last of the campgrounds to open and the first to close.