27-JUL-2016
High Lakes - Mazama Ridge
25-JUL-2016
Paradise
We spent the day at Paradise, which is always lovely if you can deal with crowds. Today was a bit different than previous visits. There were decidedly less wildflowers compared to previous trips. Some people seem to think it’s too early this year, although it didn’t appear to us as though that is the case. But I’m going to hope that they’re right.
24-JUL-2016
East Side Trail
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.
20-JUL-2016
A Little Curvy
We had planned for a quick side trip to see the Elwha River at the site of the former Lake Mills. This wouldn’t have been a scenic stop. We just wanted to see the changes that are occurring after the Glines Canyon Dam was removed. I had read that the road was currently closed, but I did not know how far the obstruction was. Unfortunately signs indicated that the closure was only two miles up, so that didn’t work out.
On to Sol Duc. This is always a very pleasant hike through the forest. I had forgotten how nice the drive is as well. In addition, we found plenty of berries at a stop along the road as well as during our hike. I think that thimbleberries are the tastiest. We’ve seen plenty of them, but most have been along roadsides with no place to stop. We have been treated to some, but not as many as we would like. There were plenty of huckleberries today, both blue and red. What was unusual is that I found some raspberries, so that was a rare treat.
Today’s picture was not taken from the spot I would have preferred. There is only room for one person in that particular spot, and you know how inconsiderate photographers can be. There were only two people in front of me, but I eventually gave up waiting for my turn. That spot would have provided a view with all three segments of the waterfall as well as a better perspective. But I like this shot too. Of course using a wide angle lens does distort things. Well I suppose that people well versed in editing software could easily correct the distortion. In any case, water runs slightly uphill, and boy is that area on the left side tilted.
Our final stop of the day was at Rialto Beach where Cheryl was able to see a couple of bald eagles.
19-JUL-2016
What a View!
There sure were a lot of parking spaces at the Hurricane Ridge visitor center this morning. Maybe that’s because the area was engulfed by clouds. Our hike on the Klahhane Ridge trail would have included magnificent views on many days. Not today. But that’s alright. We do enjoy walking in the clouds
18-JUL-2016
Best Laid Plans
I plan extensively before trips. My itineraries do have specific things I would like to do and see each day. But I have many items to choose from because life does not usually go exactly as planned. Today I wanted to visit Hurricane Ridge, but with showers in the forecast we instead opted to spend some time on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula on our way to Port Angeles. Sure, Hurricane Ridge would have been fine with showers. In fact it would have been wonderful. But we do love to hike along rivers on overcast days, so we opted to go to Staircase. We also revisited Rocky Brook Falls, which is a tad more popular than the last time we were there. Not that it was crowded. No, crowds will come later in this trip.