Mt. Rainier

 

Close your eyes and imagine Julie Andrews flitting and spinning her way across a mountain meadow singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music….”. That would have been me, had I been able to sing, when I stepped foot in Paradise Valley on Mt. Rainier. Really, I’m not kidding! The place has that kind of effect on you. I even heard the Big Dude break into a little ditty and that never happens!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day we arrived at Mt. Rainier, it was dreary and grey and the top of the mountain was nowhere in sight. Luckily, the next morning, there were clear blue skies and the whole mountain came alive. It was a perfect day to do the Skyline Trail Hike.

Although strenuous (the up, up, up kind), the hike turned out to be one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever done. The peak of Mt. Rainier as well as Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens were always in view and at least half of the hike took place in “the meadow”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

right: The mountain looms over the “tiny” hikers.

 

 

The “meadow” had a backdrop of emerald green, splashes of lavender and flecks of white, pink and yellow. Add to that a few waterfalls, babbling brooks and the glacier covered mountain watching over you and you would be hard pressed to find a better way to spend your day.

 

 

left: Alpine Aster 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After being surrounded by Fall color the past month, it was confusing to go back to Spring color but, it did give me an opportunity to learn about some more wildflowers. The lavender turned out to be Broadleaf Lupine, the white – Pasqueflower Seedhead, the pink – Magenta Paintbrush and the yellow – Broadleaf Arnica.

 

left: Columbine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

below: Pasqueflower Seedhead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Dude, “keeper of the map”, once again led our hiking party. We encountered  some local retired folks and a few climbing parties coming down from the summit but other than that, the trail was not crowded, yeah! The trail was also very well maintained and even paved in the portions by the visitor center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being a National Park, we couldn’t remove the giant heart rock the Big Dude spotted or the small one the Lil’ Dude found so we took pictures instead, phew! (I didn’t need anymore weight in my pack).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only was Paradise Valley inspirational but, the drive up also had a magical mystical quality about it. There were too many shades of green to count. The forests are dark and thick, old growth trees tower 100 ft. and moss covers everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our campsite at Cougar Rock Campground was nestled in the forest. We were lucky to find a spot with fallen old growth trees in our backyard. The Dudes thought that was the coolest thing ever and made it their playground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also did a forest hike up to Comet Falls. There weren’t many views along the rocky rooty steep 2.5 mile climb but we were rewarded in the end with a close, spray in your face view of the 320 ft. falls. It also turned out to be a great place for a picnic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn’t know what to expect from our visit to Mt. Rainier but, it really turned out to be a magical experience. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, I highly recommend you take a stroll in the “meadow”. You may just break into song.