[Slugman]

I left Lynnwood at 10:15, and was at the trailhead at 12:15, hiking up the Carbon river trail by 12:30. Lots of old growth, and a "deep wilderness" feel right from the start. The trail gains altitude gradually, no switchbacks, just following the river. Lots of blowdowns and one washout, all easily navigable. The lower bridge is out, so I headed up to the suspension bridge, making it there in two hours. Only patchy snow, some of the patches pretty deep, no poles or gaiters really needed. I saw about ten people in tennis shoes, all with dry feet. By the time I hit the bridge, the last of the other folks were gone, so it was just me and the glacier. I lounged around in the stream channel a bit under the bridge, then went up to the glacier overlook. I stayed up by the glacier from 3:30 to 5:30, resting, exploring, having a late lunch, and otherwise just enjoying the spectacle of a river of ice hundreds of feet thick towering over me. The air was that fresh-scrubbed glacier air that feels and tastes like it was just made. I made it back in two hours of steady-ish hiking. The road is totally driveable unless you have a Corvette.

Glaciers snout

supension bridge

[Stefan]

Still another trip you have made without making a summit......you could have just done a little jaunt from your little walk to tag the summit of Rainier....

[Slugman]

Naw, it started to drizzle slightly, so maybe another day for the summit.