2002-08-24 Mount Fremont Fire Lookout


On Saturday August 24 of 2002, The Rowley family headed toward Mt. Rainier. We reached the Sunrise parking lot just as most hikers were leaving. The weather was partially cloudy with clouds covering the mountain. The parents went up to the Burroughs Mts. while Michael and I hike to Mt. Fremont Fire Lookout.

We started hiking at 1:40 pm.
We reached frozen lake at 2:20 pm. 1.5 miles from Sunrise.
And we reached Mount Fremont Fire Lookout at 2:50. 1.3 miles from Frozen Lake. 2.8 miles from Sunrise.



Along the way we stopped several times for pictures. I took several panoramas and one 360°. Unfortunately only a few panoramas turned out but at least they were the ones I really wanted to turn out.
Before reaching Mount Fremont Fire lookout, I was able to take a panoramic just as the mountain showed herself for a short few seconds.
At the Lookout, Michael and I were able to explore the inside of the Lookout cabin since there was a ranger there.
Michael and I view mountain goats on the Burroughs Mountains by using a high powered Monocular.
We could actually see our parents as little dots far away on the Burroughs Mountains.
We met another hiker who was actually a ranger years ago (I think he said sometime in the 60's) who was actually on fire lookout duty at Mount Fremont Fire Lookout.
As the thunder started Michael and I decided it would be a good time to head back to Sunrise.

At 3:40 pm. Michael and I headed back toward Sunrise.
We stopped once again to take some picture then hurried back to Frozen Lake.
As we jogged down the trail, we were surrounded by fog, and very cold winds.
We reached Frozen Lake around 4:00 pm. where we met up with our parents.
The last 1.5 miles back to Sunrise were not the most enjoyable. There was a heavy hailstorm with very big balls of hail that were actually painful to the numbed hands and fingers.
There was lightning close to the mountain on one of the ridges. Michael and I stopped for about a half hour standing in the poring rain and hail taking over 300 pictures trying to get a bolt of lightning with no success.
As soon as the lighting started getting right above us and after we were drenched, we headed down the hail covered trail that was in many places just as much a river as was the trail.
After reaching Sunrise and meeting up with our parents again, we got in the van and drove home.

It would've been nice to have better weather. Oh well, maybe next time.