6/6 Saturday. Took the 2nd bus out to the P&R. The bus was 10 min late. ~14 passengers, 6 no face mask. Got picked up shortly before 8am. Lots of lupine along hwy-97.
The parking lot at Fourth of July Creek TH was full. Overflow parking along Icicle Creek road. Maybe 20 some cars. Started hiking ~10:30.
Being on the dry side, other than the first ~20 minutes, the trail is exposed. The trees (mostly pondarosa) in the lower elevation are more spaced, so you can see the mountains on the other side of the road. Even on this cool cloudy day, I got a bit burned on my neck on this mostly south facing slope. Flowers are good this time of the year. Low elevation has quite a few Mariposa Lily, lots of Thimbleberry, Yarrow. Saw Tiger Lily only along the road, not on trail. Blue waves from Lupine to Phacilia to Penstemon to Jacob's ladder, as you get higher. Paintbrush is orange here, not a lot. A few Tweedy along the trail around 6000'. They are buried under other plants, if you don't know what to look for, you won't see them. Didn't see any Bitterroot. Some Ballhead Waterleaf and Rockcress in high elevation. The upper part of the slope is rather gentle, many burnt trees. Hit snow on the ridge, and some Glacier Lily and Douglasia. Pasqueflower are just starting.
The view, of course, is better as you are higher. Boulder on the top. The very top rock, where a lookout used to stand, is a bit of scramble. Its remnant ion rods enable you to get up. 360° view! Truly beautiful. 
At ~7020', it was quite windy and cold. Even hailed a tiny bit. The boulder field east of the lookout was sheltered from the wind. Had relaxed lunch here, like everyone else, enjoying the 50% view.
Back to the car at 5pm. Quite a lot of hikers today, maybe close to 100. Overall the trail is well graded, and enjoyable. 12 miles RT, 4370'.
Camped by Icicle Creek. Many pullouts and camping opportunities. The creek is rushing. Bigger than some river. Lupine and Mariposa Lily at the camp. However, quite some ants! Mix of drizzle and sunshine as we were pitching our tents. Fairly relaxed evening. I finished reading a magazine. Retired early (in order to rise early the next day).The night wasn't too cold, maybe ~40°F. No star.
6/7 Sunday. Got up shortly after 5am. Made a mistake of parking at Eight Mile Lake TH. Got to Colchuck/Stuart Lake parking lot at 6:40. I counted ~60 cars. By 7am, cars started to park along the road, which is illegal now. We ate breakfast at the only picnic table by the TH.
The trail is boring: in the woods, only 2 occasions for a view. At mile 2.2, the trail junction, we turned left to Colchuck Lake, cross the 2nd bridge. Funny that I didn't remember the two bridges until I saw them. The lake looks very pretty now, with the snow draping the mountains surrounding the lake. Because of the gloomy sky, the color is not as green as it could be. Only 9am, a long break for snack. It snowed a bit. Saw a drone -- is it legal in Alpine Wilderness?
Back towards the trail junction, passing throngs of people. A few carried babies on their back. Some carry ski, or crampons and ice axes. Ditched the crowd, heading to Stuart Lake. This part, the trail is easy. The best view is at this meadow, half a mile before the lake. Saw ~7 people on our way in, and ~20 on our way out.
Had lunch by the lake, mix of drizzle and sunshine. More clouds obscured the mountain peaks today. More wind too. After the lunch, walked over to the far end of the lake. The trail is not always by the water. At the end, there's an unmaintained trail continues 1.5 mile and ~1200' gain to the little Horseshoe Lake.Saw a single Rock Clementic. Quite some Devil's Club close to the trailhead. Probably 12 miles, ~2800'.
Back at the TH ~2:45pm. Driving back was uneventful. Very sunny along Hwy 97. Raining before and after Snoqualmie Pass. No rain for 5 miles at the pass. It was pouring for between exit 30-50. Partly sunny in the city. Didn't wait long for the next bus this time. Was home ~6:30pm. Fell asleep before it was dark.
