5/25, afternoon. Sunny. After a quick lunch, I took bus to Issaquah TC to meet R. Didn't read the trip report, so took micro-spikes and ice-axe just in case. Mailbox old trail is completely out of snow all the way to the top. Thankfully some small snow patches still lingered next to the trail on the top rocky section (above 4000', probably will be gone in a week or so), that allowed me to refill my water bottle. It was much warmer than I thought. I had brought only 1L of water. Met an Indian gentleman in all white long flowing robe and a thick wooden stick. He said he was in his 70s, and hikes almost every day. Just 1500-2000' each time, and then he turns around.
My lunch was inadequate. Less than an hour later, I had to sit down and refuel seriously. R. agreed to meet me at the summit. I felt better with more carbonhydrate and water. I almost caught up with R. later. Arrived at the summit at 4:25, 2.5 hours from the car, not too bad for 4000' gain. R. drank his non-alcoholic beer. I ate my shepherd's purse casserole. One chubby guy on the summit was taking selfies. He carried a large backpack for training. He said he was climbin Rainier in June. He also wore weights around his upper torso. Yes, I need to carry some weight. Saw a sleek white plane circling the summit. R. also found a bottle of beer. I was tempted. He put it back behind the rocks.
On the way down, I was faster. At some point, I realized that R's poles were still in his daypack, so encouraged him to use poles to ease the impact. I was dropped off at Issaquah TC ~7:10. I was hoping to attend a talk at 7pm, now it's too late, but certainly early enough to get home and clean up.
