KUOW Hike of the Week- Contest

This was updated on Friday October 28. This hike is in Mt. Rainier National Park and the trailhead is off of Hwy 410 east of Enumclaw. There might be some patchy snow on the ground near the Upper Lake so a ski pole and some good hiking boots would be an excellent idea. Access to this trailhead closes near Thanksgiving time. For the best chance of views of Mt. Rainier Saturday would be better than Sunday. Chance of light morning showers on Saturday and steady precipitation for Sunday.
Photo below is view of the Upper Crystal Lake, photo by Karen Sykes
Photo below is view of Rainier less than one mile into hike, photo by Michael Fagin
Photo below is view of Mt. Rainier from above Upper Crystal Lake, photo below is by Michael Fagin
Photo below is view of Upper Crystal Lake from trail above the lake, photo by Michael Fagin
Photo below is some of the fall colors at the basin near Upper Crystal Lake, photo by Karen Sykes

Photo below are more fall colors at the basin at Upper Crystal Lake, photo by Karen Sykes

Trail stats: 6 miles round trip with 2,300 feet of gain
Driving Directions: From Enumclaw drive SR 410 east toward Chinook Pass -- the trailhead is 4.5 miles past the entrance to Mt Rainier National Park or about 42 miles east of Enumclaw. Parking on both sides of the road. The map is Green Trails No. 270 Mount Rainier East.
Trail and driving directions provided by Karen Sykes as well as some of the photos. Trail stats and driving directions are our best estimates so please drive a map and or a GPS
CONTEST

Question How much snow will be on the ground at Paradise Ranger Station on 12-1-2011 at 1 am.
Rules: 1 Winner is the first person who has entered with the correct guess or closest guess, 2. In the event of a tie the winner is first who has entered with the correct guess or closest guess, 3. One guess per family, 4. Guesses must be in by November 7, 2011 by 1 am and email them to
enter guess here
First place prize: New waterproof, lightweight Platypus Origin 5 hydration pack designed to keep you comfortably hydrated on half- or ultralight full-day excursions. Features a 2L Platypus Big Zip SL reservoir plus 5L of gear storage http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/hydration-packs/origin-5/product

Second place prize. Backpacking Washington, By Craig Romano
http://www.amazon.com/Backpacking-Washington-Overnight-Multi-Day-Routes/dp/1594851107/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318184187&sr=1-1" />