June 11, Interglacier bluebird Monday

Perfect day on the Interglacier, however it was warm and the snow was soft all the way up and down, with some remainder of softened crust.  The Mt. Rainier recreational weather forecast called for a cloudy day with possible rain but the cloud cover and precipitation on the UW WRF-GFS model (found here:  http://www.atmos.washington.edu/mm5rt/ ) looked non-existent until very late on Monday.  Walked up the new trail from White Rive campground.  The new trail is a beautifully made gem; it parallels the old one but is placed a little bit higher up on the south-facing slope of the river valley to avoid water damage. The new part is now  almost completely bare but it was possible to start skinning beside the Inter Fork River before the trail turned right and uphill.  Glacier Basin is well filled in with snow that was covered with yellowish dust, but snow beyond there was plentiful and pristine without any rocks or suncups.  Skiing down was OK, in soft snow, grabbier on the dust just as the valley turns right past the St. Elmo's Pass.

Hillmap link with up and down track is here:

http://www.hillmap.com/m/ag1zfmhpbGxtYXAtaGRychALEghTYXZlZE1hcBiHiyYM

Pictures:
Little Tahoma
My old friend from the last visit (http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboarding/trip_reports/index.php?topic=17106.0)
Julie's (and mine) turns from the Steamboat Prow