[boot up]

Almost start of avalanche or cloud event on Mt Rainier. From SunTop 04/07/12

Almost start of avalanche or cloud event on Mt Rainier. From SunTop 04/07/12

Tail end of avalanche or cloud event. From SunTop 04/07/12 Total elapsed time...a couple minutes

Already getting conjecture from another thread for this cloud or avy or venting, or Sasquatch Rave, that we saw from Sun Top summit.

Panorama from Sun Top solar panels. Sun Top 4/7/12

John (Tigermnn) talked me into this 11 miles "mostly road" snowshoe. Sounded long for shoeing but heck its "mostly" road. I think we spent more time on going straight up and down what is a quick half mile hike in summer, than the whole rest of the hike.

Sun Top 4/7/12 11 miles snowshoe. 2977 feet elevation gain. 5303 feet Elevation gain 8hours car to car with lunch

Sun Top 4/7/12 11 miles snowshoe. 2977 feet elevation gain. 5303 feet Elevation gain 8hours car to car with lunch

Gotta say, it was a perfect weather day! And after all the crap days of late, it was all good. (we will ignore my episode of cursing and whining as I made my way down the steep section....I do not do well with the steeps.....My Old Geezer self really shows up then.) The road was clear of snow through to the parking lot...just the usual potholes.

Sno park afternoon crowds Sun Top 4/7/12

Odd fenced in area near the trailhead. with an odd warning sign...

"T-REX DO NOT FEED" ?????? Sun Top 4/7/12

Only a few more miles to go...

5 miles to go, to the top. Sun Top 4/7/12

We used snowshoes the entire way up, but took them off with a mile to go on the way down. There were patches of dirt with patches of snow at first, and with MSR *&%^&%$!! crappy slow bindings, you don't want to be putting the shoes off and on often. But before too long it was all snow.

John, on the road again. Sun Top 4/7/12

Lots of shade on the road walk. LOTS of shade. Sun Top 4/7/12

John Soaking up the sun. Sun Top 4/7/12

There were a few spots of sun on the road portion. Sun Top 4/7/12

Almost back down. Sun Top 4/7/12

Eventually we got to the Summer trail fork, where you can usually drive up to when its not snow. But we had long since lost ALL tracks, and were on our own. John was kind enough to break the trail up the trackless section of road. It was a challenge finding out way through the trees, once off the road. Finally John decided it was silly to even try to follow the summer trail track anymore and he launched for the summit. with me following.

Our route from below. Can you spot it? Sun Top 4/7/12

Summer trail start. We forked off the road here. Sun Top 4/7/12

John, deciding its time to quit dinking around witha traverse and now its time to head UP. Sun Top 4/7/12

View from the final push slope. Sun Top 4/7/12

John. almost at the solar panels. Sun Top 4/7/12

John, reassuring me its "mostly just road". Sun Top 4/7/12

Almost all road....keep telling myself that.... Sun Top 4/7/12

There is a reason they call it Sun TOP. Sun Top 4/7/12

Looking back down. Sun Top 4/7/12

Evntually we did get to the Solar panel flat spot with its nice view, then an easy stroll to the Lookout where we dug in for lunch.

Looking back down. Sun Top 4/7/12

Rocks on top. This is the road. Sun Top 4/7/12

The infamous Sun Top Solar panel. Sun Top 4/7/12

Looking back on the ridge on the top. Sun Top 4/7/12

John on the Ridge. Sun Top 4/7/12

Sun Top Lookout. Sun Top 4/7/12

John at the lookout. Sun Top 4/7/12

John at the lookout. Sun Top 4/7/12

Lunch View. Sun Top 4/7/12

Sunny Rainier Sun Top 4/7/12

Summit parking lot. Can you find the outhouse? Sun Top 4/7/12

Almost there. Sun Top 4/7/12

We had planned to loop back on the road, but after seeing something that LOOKED like an avalanche on Rainier, we took that as a sign, and backtracked instead of risking cutting across a small questionable section that would normally be a road cut, but no signs of a "cut" today.

John on the road out. We decided to backtrack instead. Sun Top 4/7/12

Road route out. It just looked dicey. we backtracked. Sun Top 4/7/12

We saw ONE person the entire day on the road and trail. Its definitely a place to go to avoid crowds. But you really don't get anything to see until the summit....which IS a great view.

[tigermn]

Well as Thom said we are both half deaf. I only hear out of one ear and Thom just doesn't hear as well as he used to.. Still though I would have though we hear something. At least where we were the wind was blowing towards the mountain. Here are a few shots I got. Not as good but.. I labeled them as clouds but... Suntop lookout where these were taken from is 15 miles as the crow flies from the Rainier summit.

Clouds that look like an avy from Suntop lookout.

Clouds that look like an avy from Suntop lookout.

Clouds that look like an avy from Suntop lookout.

Willis wall form Suntop lookout.

[Hikingqueen]

I hate that last push up to LO in winter, it's so steep!

[tigermn]