Taking advantage of an unprecedented sunny & hot fourth of July, I took a gamble that most of the crowds would be celebrating at home rather than going to Mt Rainier National Park. My hunch paid off--I arrived at Sunrise at a quarter to 11am to "rock star" parking in front of the ranger station. The hike to the second Burroughs was nothing short of spectacular--the lingering snowfields at 6400-7600' elevation created interesting patterns. To my surprise, the alpine wildflowers were already in bloom (I guess it's not surprising considering their short growning season), with tiny blankets of phlox, scarlet painbrush & yellow daisies dotting the landscape. The half a dozen snowfield crossings were pretty traversable (except for the last STEEP at the 2nd Burroughs--it felt more like an avalanche chute on the descent without poles), and there were even seekers sliding/skiing down the slopes for added entertainment. These photos were taken with my 24-105mm lens with a circular polarizing filter to help with glare and dynamic range.