#7: [27-May-16]

#6: [18-Aug-13]

#4: [14-Mar-10]

#3: [16-Apr-07]

#2: [15-Jul-02]

#1: [10-Oct-99]

13-Mar-2010 -- 47N – 122W Carbonado, Washington, United States

Line Hunting Date: March 13, 2010

At the foot of Mt. Rainer

A quick hunt with a four and half hours margin before my flight departing from Seattle. A bit tight with an estimated 160 km round trip, but sure beats seating in a Starbuck.

The trip started in Mercer Island in Seattle about 70 km GPS distance from this point which is located on the way up to the local icon – Mt. Rainer.

The drive was straightforward except for many lights which slow things down. Once passing the little historic town of Carbonado, the great outdoors feeling under the influence of Mt. Rainer became apparent. The winding road took me 150 meters South from this point.

The only regret was that it started to drizzle when I started the short hike toward the Confluence Point. After several days of on-and-off rain, the ground was wet and soggy covered with beautiful moss.

After reached the point from the main road, I tried approaching North from another road which was gated about 300 meters from the point (photo 8). I was able to walk on this paved road to within 130 meters from the Confluence point. Concerned about making my flight, I decided not to go for the point again.

The drive to Sea-Tac airport was uneventful, and I had an hour and 10 minutes to spare when I reached the check-in counter. The only regret was not having the whole day to go up the hill further and getting a closer look of the famous mountain.

Rating of this Hunt:

Degree of Challenge:

1– A straight forward drive to the point (1= very easy - drive to the point; to 5= a death march – glad it is over)

Scenery:

3– In the forest at the foothill of Mt. Rainer, a very scenic drive toward the last 10 km (Scale: 1= not interesting at all; 5= take your breath away)

Culture-social factors:

3 – The nearest community Carbonado is a historic mining town, very charming - population 600 but got at least a dozen drinking holes (Scale: 1=dull; 5= most stimulating)