Mount Rainier is crowded enough in most years. I’ve been reading that it’s been a madhouse this year, perhaps due to the 100 year National Parks anniversary. I didn’t want to deal with the crowds at Paradise, Sunrise, or really anywhere along the main road. I figured that accessing the East Side Trail from the Owyhigh Lakes (east) trail head would be our best bet. It turned out to be a wonderful day of solitude. We only saw eleven other hikers all day.


I started having trouble with my main lens late last week. By Friday it was not working at all. If I had been at home, I could have sent it in for repair. But, being on vacation, I really need it right now. I tried calling camera shops that wouldn’t be too far out of our way when we drove to Mount Rainier. I wasn’t able to find what I wanted within a reasonable distance. My next choice would have been B&H, but they were already closed. Amazon had a lens that I could have the next day, but when I went to check out I discovered that they’re liars. So it won’t be arriving until Monday.

The good side of that is that today I had an empty lens pouch on my belt. We were eating huckleberries while hiking along the Ohahapecosh River on the East Side Trail and lamenting the fact that we didn’t have any means of saving some for pancakes tomorrow.

Cheryl: “We could save some if we had a bag.”

Me: “Too bad we don’t have a bag.”
“Oh wait, I do have a bag.”
“Too bad we don’t have something to hold the bag. It’s not going to be convenient to hike with this in my hand.”
“Oh wait, I can put the bag in this empty lens pouch.”
We ended up filling that bag (along with our bellies). I can’t wait for tomorrow’s breakfast.