To escape the Mt Rainier masses, Bill & I decided to hike to Spray Park on the northwest side of the park starting from Mowich Lake. Though the 16-mile drive in on dirt & gravel road did deter the casual tourist, there was still quite a crowd...and for good reason. Though we were late for the peak wild flower blooms, the late snow melt did treat us to a very wet Spray Falls, and a late showing of lupines, daisies and yellow flowers. Unfortunately, where there's water, there's mosquitos--so the trail also could have been called "Bug-Spray Park". Despite the bugs, we were treated to bear sightings (at a respectable distance), marmots sunning themselves on rocks, and a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier from the Eagle Cliff lookout. All-in-all it was a pretty good day.