Mt. Ranier Hike

Last weekend was an action-packed weekend, there was so much to blog about that we couldn't fit it all in. On Sunday May and I decided to take advantage of the last summer-sunny-day and hike Mt. Ranier... well not the actual mountain, but a mountain inside the national park that had a great view.

We left pretty early in the morning to beat the crowds, and boy was it cold on the drive up. The car said at one point that it was 40 degrees! And it was a long drive...not so much on the freeway, but on the 20 miles of dirt forest fire roads. What a bumpy terrible drive - mental note to buy an SUV.

When we arrived at the trail head there was a pretty cool little campsite, and it was already packed with cars from day-hikers. Our hike began at the campsite as we walked around the west side of Mowich lake. Let me tell you this lake was something else, with Mt. Rainier in the background, huge forests all around and bright blue crystal clear water it was a site to see. May looked frustrated in our pictures as I kept asking her to stop and be my subject for innumerable photos. Our hike continued over the mountains over a ridge to Eunice lake at the foot of a fire lookout station. The wildflowers were nearing there end, but there were still a few pretty meadows left. After resting at Eunice lake, we decided to make the 1,200 foot climb to the lookout station and we were rewarded with breathtaking views of Ranier and all the surrounding mountain ranges. Unfortunately we weren't alone, dozens of hikers also joined for a quick snack at the top. Next year I want to reserve one of the fire lookout forts and spend the night... I can't imagine how clear the sky would be.

All in all a great hike, if we had an SUV I'd do it again in a heart-beat. 4 miles round trip, only 1,500 feet of elevation gain.