Mount Rainier
July 1 - 3, 2005
We spent the first two days of the Fourth of July weekend with the Simmons family at Mount Rainier National Park, one of their favorite haunts in the Northwest. Though the park was predictably crowded, the youngsters campground at Cougar Rock was surprisingly mellow and even had vacanies (the geezers stayed at the National Park Inn at Longmire). And though the immediate Paradise area was mobbed with family-packed SUVs, it took very little effort to find stunning trails with scarcely a hiker to be found.
On Sunday, which was an absolutely gorgeous day, we hiked up the Paradise River to the Skyline Trail which took us to Mazama Ridge (where we snowshoe camped in February) and then down the High Lakes Trail to Faraway Rock and back to the road where we had a car waiting. We were lucky enough to see a coastal blue grouse in full display--certainly one of the strangest birds around. The meadows were ablaze with wildflowers, the mountain was shimmering and bright... it was all too beautiful for words or photos to do justice.
The welcome sign at Cougar Rock Campground.
The forest along the Trail of Shadows at Longmire.
The Simmons family--Lara, Dawn, Steve, and MaryAnn--crack themselves up around the campfire.
Along the Skyline Trail, near the Paradise River, the colors were surreal.
The Simmons family engages in the their favorite pass-time.
Eric and Steve pause along the Skyline Trail with Little Tahoma in the background.
Indian paintbrush in a hue we've never quite seen before.
Plenty of rambling awaits.
Steve takes a photo from the vantage point of Faraway Rock.
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