Sunrise wake-up call earned us the second-to-last parking spot at the TH and put us on the trail at 11. Made it to the LO at 1:30, relaxed on top for an hour and returned to the car just as the sun set.
Little to no snow, lots of folks out, most with traction devices, but with careful footing it was fine without spikes. Trickiest part was the north-facing ~100' descent to the tarns midway up, though lots of snud (mixed snow+mud) made for some slippery steps on the way down. Counted about a dozen humans and a half-dozen dogs on the summit around 2pm. Passed a few folks still heading up on the way down, incl. a pair of guys intent on bivvying up top overnight (legal?), a pair of guys who realized they needed to turn around and a solo hiker busting his hump to tick off a second trail for the day.
Light, but cold breeze on top had me wishing I hadn't left my warm hat and gloves in the car. Flannel served its purpose well today as did my trekking poles which saved me from a few nasty falls down low in the forest as the light faded on the way out.
Passed a few folks still heading up on the way down, incl. a pair of guys intent on bivvying up top overnight (legal?)
I would have been one of the ones you passed - red hair, tripod strapped on my backpack. The two guys who were gonna camp up top surveyed the area for about 3 minutes and decided to bail on it (probably smart, since there's really no room), and ended up camping in the meadows down near the tarn, heard them as I was hiking out in the dark.
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