As we drove west from Longview we noted snow on the upper reaches of the east side of distant Mt Burke and this was confirmed when we got to the trailhead view of the western slopes. But the trail was dry up to treeline where we took a snack break :

View at the treeline

The next stretch up to the narrow ridge only had inconsequential snow but we were exposed to strong westerly winds that had participants adding layers. On the ridge we had views of the peak:


Destination in sight from the narrow ridge section

It was also here that we saw a few flower clumps, some of which looked to have suffered from the recent droughty conditions.


Today's biggest clump of flowers

The uppermost trail was covered in slushy snow intermixed with mud so we had to pay attention to our footing. Part of this section was protected from the wind-chill by the ridge and it was quite warm in this protected area, so the snow may not last long. Then it was up to the summit:


Final trudge to the Burke lookout

There it was a matter of finding protection from the wind:


Two ways to shelter from the wind

Views to the east were hazy with forest fire smoke so we didn't wait too long before starting the descent:


Barb dancing her way down the mud and slush

At treeline there was a lot of de-layering as once in the shelter of the trees there was no wind impact. We moved right along and for variety we took the alternate route back to the cars, where we arrived by about 3pm. A few stopped at Black Diamond for an early dinner on the way home.

Thanks to everyone for being a congenial group, for some it was their first time up Mount Burke.

Participants: Bill (photos), Barbara, Yolande, Laszlo, Dean, Aldis, Nardi, John, Jane, John, Jo, Deborah, Jozef (photos), Tina. Ron C/S/P