Day 1 was spent hiking a couple trails out of Paradise as my friends' home is just 25 miles or so from the Nisqually entrance of the park. the couple trails we had picked out were under more snow than we felt like trying so instead we wandered a couple miles or so up from Paradise at 5400' on the path/ trail to Panorama Point at 6800' and just beyond. there's a little restroom farther up the trail at about 7000' perched rather precariously in the rocks. Mt Rainier popped out at times but was mostly hidden behind the clouds. there was a great view south over the rough looking Tatoosh Range peaks and south to Mt St Helens and Mt Adams. and there were more people than i'd probably seen the last 3 years combined on Mt Hood trails (not counting Trillium, Lost Lake types). we got an early start and avoided most of them, but on our way down it was one group after another as it also doubles as the beginning of the climbers route to Muir Camp. it was definitely worth the views but not something to repeat the following day. the meadows were a couple weeks away at least and of course there was quite a bit of snow. got a great view of some deer early and a nice pic posted over on the old Yahoo site we used before this one. there were quite a few Marmot(s) in the rocks up high and they're pretty cool to watch. they seemed more accustomed to people than the ones we'd see tuesday.
trying to find a little more quiet we returned to the car and went to the Reflection Lake Trailhead and took the 1 mile or so walk to the lake. a nice lunch spot but also can be accessed on the road so there was a steady stream of people coming and going in the distance. No Bugs!!! it was really breezy so no great reflections in the water.
Day 2 was as opposite Day 1 as you could get. we arrived at an empty Sunrise lot to ask the staff about a few options. once again snow on the trails would limit some choices and eliminate a couple. no use making an effort to see great meadows before the flowers are there. so we decided on the Palisades Lake Trail. 7 lakes on a series of rolling hills and valleys starting with a 500' drop to Sunrise Lake and finishing a bit under 4 miles later at Upper Palisades Lake beneath the towering peaks of The Palisades. we saw one person at the beginning of the hike, one lone camper at the CG at Upper Palisades Lake and one couple as we almost finished the hike. the camper said herds of elk roam the meadows by the lake in the evening. we only saw a few deer and a couple more bashful Marmots with one posing by the lake for me. the rolling hills provided a downhill just when you were about ready to drop from climbing and it was fun never quite knowing what would be beyond the next turn.usually a lake or meadow but sometimes just another hill. this hike provides no views of Mt Rainier as it is blocked by the Sourdough Mts. perhaps that helped with the solitude that made it such a great place. very few bugs until late in the afternoon at the end of the day. no bug spray needed for both days!
Welcoming Committee
Rainier from Panorama Point
Tatoosh Range from Panarama Point (Adams in the background)
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