A warm sunny Saturday. Way too many cars and people for the good sized parking lot, equipped with 2 honey buckets and 1 dry toilet. Nice flowers along the drive and almost all the way along the Esmeralda Basin trail. But nothing like a carpet. Starting from smelly Ceanothus, Lupines, Strawberry, Columbine and Manzanita, then Scarlet Gilia, Jeffery Shooting Starts, pink and white Paintbrushes, even a few Glacier Lily. Good view of the southern mountain range. The best is at ~3.1 miles from trailhead by a small creek, filled with blue Jeffry shooting starts. Trees are not dense (impossible to find a secluded spot) in the lower elevation. Dry and exposed later. At 3.5 miles reached the barren Fortune Creek Pass with good views and a good camp site.
A bit before the creek, County Line trail #1226.2 climbs north to another meadow and more camp sites. Then steep and loose rock. Mt. Rainier started to show up. Eventually 700' higher to a grand pass (6400') above tiny ugly Lake Ann. The 360%#176; view is well worth the sweat.
Exit #85 of I-90. SR 970 north to Teanaway Road (0.5 mile north of Teanaway River bridge). Veer right, follow North Fork Teanaway Road to 29 Pines Campground where the pavement ends. Take the right fork, FR 9737, 10 miles to its end.
I went to this hike with a meetup group, total 13 people. Lots of waiting around (at least an hour wasted). Some are nice, some silly. Overall a good way to get out without a car.
