Where da bear on Bearhead Mountain?

Summit #24 of 70--August 12, 2023

After my triple summit adventure the day before, I spotted a relatively easy ascent above the Carbon River not too terribly far away. Bearhead Mountain offered a three-mile trek (each way) with a 1,800-foot elevation gain, plus a nice sounding summit with a good view of Mount Rainier. Works for me!

I thought I'd already driven the road from Hell twice in one day, but the horrid road to Bearhead set a new, lower bar, for sure. I camped at a pullout just below the trailhead, then found the parking area mostly full early the next morning. Most who brave the drive are hiking to nearby Summit Lake. The Bearhead trail is essentially an offshoot. I saw no one else on that path coming or going.

The hike was fairly routine, mostly on good tread in the woods, breaking out into a scenic, subalpine world a little below the top--and alas, no sign of bears. I sat for few moments, looking at the steep north wall of Tahoma, and trying to pick out the areas I'd visited a day earlier. Then hustled back down, eager to be home and reprogrammed into rest mode.