Mowich Lake '03,  Mt Rainier National Park,  Feb 8, 2003 - Feb 9, 2003     page 2 / 15

We began our hike around 10:00 AM. The road continues up the hill all the way to Mowich Lake, which is a popular summer starting point for short trips to Eunice Lake and Spray Park. As expected, there was not much snow. Several inches, at most, had accumulated at the parking area at 3500 feet elevation. Most of us began without the snowshoes, putting them on later when the snow was deeper.

The day was cold and clear. The week had been a dry one. The rangers we met told us that most of the snow had fallen only a week earlier. The temperature stayed fairly cold most of the week, so extensive frost had formed, as in the example below.