Seattle Day 5

Can you see Mount Rainer? Yeah, we couldn't either.

We hadn't really seen any rain on this entire trip. There were a few drops falling on our orca cruise, but all through Olympic it was cool and dry. We also knew this was Washington, so it was only a matter of time, and today was the time.

Mom made breakfast of bacon and eggs here in our little cabin, and we headed into Mount Rainier National Park. We never did see Mount Rainier, though. We drove into the park and headed to the southwest corner known as Paradise. Everything lay clothed in a thick layer of clouds. Sometimes, it was so soupy that we couldn't see fifty feet down the road. Other times, the mist swirled just on the edge of sight.

Mount Rainer was very rainy our first day there.

All day we thought it was going to rain, but it never really did. Instead, a clinging mist hung in the air. Tiny droplets stuck to everything as if it were raining, but no water was really falling. We'd never seen anything like that before.

At Paradise, we trekked up to Myrtle Falls. This was where we got wettest, but the small waterfall was really pretty, and the hike was short. It was a nice introduction into the park. 

It was misty rain, so we wore our ponchos (except Dax).

It was wet!

Myrtle Falls. Usually you can see Mount Rainer in the background.

Farther up the road, we did a few waterfall stops, but neither required much of a hike. Our favorite was Narada Falls, but we liked Christine Falls, which pours under the roadway, as well. 

Mark liked Narada Falls.

Mom was glad she packed the hats and gloves.

It was beautiful waterfall.

This waterfall offered great photos.

And the water is turquoise because it comes from the glaciers.

Poor Mom's hair!

We had some hikes that were supposed to provide really great views of Mount Rainier, but since we could barely see the front of the car, we altered our plans. We drove down to the Visitor Center at Longmire. Then we drove back up and over to Ohanapecosh. We did a short, fun hike called Grove of the Patriarchs. This led to a beautiful grove of massive trees even bigger than those we'd seen in Olympic. The boys favorite part, though was the suspension bridge that dangled above the river. 

Back into the forest, but not the rainforest this time.

It was fun to see these massive trees.

Standing next to these giant trees was awesome.

Dax looks so small. 

This was one of our favorite trails in Mount Rainer.

Everything is still very green.

Nice pic, guys!

You could walk all the way around this tree.

Crossing the suspension bridge was super fun!

Another hike we added was Silver Falls. We hiked down to the bottom of the falls to see the river cascade right under the bridge we were standing on. The water was a lovely glacial green, which made us wish that we could see the glaciers on the slopes of Mount Rainier. This is the only trail where it really rained and we were pretty wet when we got back to the car. Thank goodness the trees covered us for part of the trail.

Dad is a very stylish hiker.

We love crossing any bridge.

And sometimes jumping off of the bridges.

Another bridge!!

Silver Falls was impressive.

It was so rainy!

Can you see the rain coming down?

WOW Dad!!

Mom's hair looked really good after that wet hike.

Finally, we drove up to do a short hike around Lake Tipsoo. The sun peeked out for a moment, raising our hopes of seeing the mountain, but it quickly retreated behind the clouds. We enjoyed the hike, though. We left the park a little after four o'clock because we were ready to be dry again.

The flowers on this trail were amazing.

We really wished we could see the lake and the mountain better.

Mom enjoyed the flowers a lot, though.

Such a pretty spot!

The rest of the night was pretty easy. We grabbed dinner at a small pizza place that had surprisingly good food. Then we played cards and read until bedtime. After the kids were in bed, Mom and Dad got the van all packed up. We needed an early start if we were going to see that mountain!

The food was yummy!

We were glad to be out of the rain.

Good night!