Day Hike - McNeeley, Antler & Dege Peaks

Straightforward easy Sunday hike to summit of Dege Peak.  Low cloud layer robbed us of views above but views in the near and middle distance were nice too.  Flowers are still out, and birds were frequently around us along the upper portion of the trail and at the summit.  Poor weather kept away the usual Sunrise crowds, and we had the summit to ourselves and saw only 4 other people on the route to/from Dege.

This trip was to also have included Antler Peak, which would have made it a  two-fer for hikes in the Seattle Branch “15 Hiking Peaks in Mount Rainier NP” badge.  However, we could not find a trail up Antler that would have been consistent with Park rules nor which would have fit the Mountaineers definition of “hike”, so as consolation we extended our return route further along Sourdough Ridge towards the 5-way junction at Frozen Lake.