[ragman and rodman]

Point 7228 is the high point on Panhandle Balcony... located a short distance SW of Panhandle Gap in Mt. Rainier National Park. We parked (~3800') at the Summerland Trailhead and hiked less than an eighth-of-a-mile before connecting with the Wonderland Trail... which led us into Summerland (~5900') after hiking a total of 4.4 miles. Leaving Summerland we continued on the Wonderland Trail to Panhandle Gap (~6800') after hiking a total of 5.8 miles... where we turned to the west and started uphill on an obvious bootpath that took us up to ~7000 feet... then started an upward trending traverse on loose talus that led us to easier terrain at ~7120 feet... leaving a short walk and easy scramble to Point 7228. Leaving the summit we traced our steps back to the car. The hike/scramble was 12.6 miles roundtrip, gaining 3584 feet of elevation. Photos, trailhead directions and downloadable GPS track of our trip to Point 7228 and Panhandle Balcony ..