Posting for yesterday, as I didn't get in until night, and replenishing myself with Korean Fried Chicken and cold beer (as well as relieving my ailing knees) took precedence

. We hiked just over 16 miles in total, first up to an Alpine Lake high in the mountains, then to the peak above at around 5,600ft. The road to the trailhead was closed, so we had to start right off the exit of the highway, which added a few miles as well as a good bit of elevation gain to the overall hike. We also took an old defunct trail the rest of the way up to the lake, which while much steeper is alot more fun, and even has a nice boulder field to scramble over. Also, since the official trailhead was closed, we had the place almost to ourselves. I was accompanied by my 17 y/o sun and his buddy, so knife pics were not a priority, but I still managed to snap a few in the 10 hours or so we were out there. Most importantly though, we all had an amazing memorable time
First up to the lake, where we splashed off a bit and had some snacks.
Then on to the peak
Rainier looming in the distance
Finally made it. Below you can see the lake we were at previously. Pics don't do the view justice.
Finally, back down to the lake. This time we got in the water to really cool off, before the couple of hours hike we still had ahead of us back down to the ride. Luckily the trail we take down follows the creek and its waterfalls, so it makes for a refreshing end to an exhausting trip.