Goat Island Mountain (Mount Rainier)

May 2nd 2015 trip, 4 hrs up, 4.5 hrs down w/hour on summit. Did the counterclockwise loop which allowed breathtaking views of Little Tahoma/Rainier during ascent as well as the descent towards Pt 6491. No snow up to ~5900' on east ridge, then lots of snow on traverse at ~5900 over to ridge leading to summit. Did not use snowshoes until descending from near Pt 6491, then used them continuously all the way to the footbridge at ~5200' (bridge is in great shape, although we could have easily crossed the stream owing to low water conditions). Photo can be seen here:
https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A85aVbMKGhRHrY;5571A519-3914-4A79-8056-02C9B6FB6750