[MooseAndSquirrel]

Beautiful late summer weather day on this trip to Third Burroughs Mtn. Chilly at a potty break at White R. ranger station but once up in the sunshine at Sunrise at 7:15am just after sunrise it was shorts & t-shirt temp. Just a handful of cars in the lot, and I was the only one on the trail until encountering an older woman coming down from Third Burroughs summit as I was ascending it. Must have spent the night or run up there that morning in the dark! Fantastic views abound as one follows the Sourdough Ridge trail to the Burroughs Mtn. trail, which climaxes with an in-your-face view of Rainier and the Winthrop Glacier from atop 3rd Burroughs. Trail is in great shape as it undulates up and over Burroughs 1 & 2 to 3. Lots of tiny squirrels everywhere and grasshoppers/crickets and their accompanying chirping. Occasional thunderous noises coming from the slopes of Rainier, I suspect rock or ice falls. While resting on the Meany memorial seat on 2nd Burroughs you've got quite the view of The Mountain. On sunny weekends get to the trailhead early to at least have the first half of the hike to yourself- I encountered LONG strings of folks on the return trip. No bugs, no water available except at Sunrise. Mileage: Approx. 7 mi. RT, Elev gain. 1400'. Drive time from Bellevue to Sunrise parking lot: approx. 1 hr 45 min.