Government shutting down? No problem, got the whole place all to myself. The whole area was awfully quiet due to the shutdown but it was nice to enjoy the solitude while it lasted.
The trail lead all the way up to the summit, parts were covered in snow at the meadow and at the lookout tower. I only ran into one other hiker while taking a break to enjoy the nice view the Rainier. Although it was covered in clouds most of the time.
Sunny all day, and most of the peaks were visible.