Mount Rainier - August 6th

It was about a 40 mile drive from Iron Creek Campground to the Stevens Canyon Entrance on the southeast side of Mount Rainier National Park but I really didn't mind the drive since the campground was especially nice.

Mount Rainier seen from the Box Canyon Trail.

And from "The Bench" after passing through Stevens Canyon.

A zoomed-in view of the snow-covered peak of Mount Rainier.

Louise Lake.

Reflection Lake. I talked briefly with a hiker from Ohio who was in his tenth day of hiking the Wonderland Trail. In my mind, that is an amazing feat! It is a 93-mile trail up and down and around Mount Rainier with a cumulative elevation change of about 22,000 feet!  It goes through lowland forests and valleys and into high alpine and sub-alpine areas. What an incredible adventure that would be!

Heading toward Paradise.

At the Paradise visitors center the mountain was playing hide and seek. The clouds moved quickly. Completely hiding the mountain for a few minutes then opening briefly allowing a glimpse of the mighty mountain.

I watched the 20-minute movie on the park at the visitors center, walked a couple hundred feet up one of the paths in the 60 degree sunshine. Yes, it was chilly, especially with the wind, but exhilarating. I didn't stick around long though and soon headed out of the park to my temporary home at Iron Creek Campground. It had been a beautiful day!

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Becky Wiseman, "Mount Rainier - August 6th," Kinexxions, posted September 20, 2015 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2015/09/mount-rainier-august-6th.html : accessed [access date])