The Pacific Northwest

Mount Rainier National Park

The weather was perfect in Seattle as we stepped off the plane and grabbed our rental car. We were excited to see Nathan and Zella later this evening, but we had some time before they would get off work to check out Pike Place Market. The colors of the flowers, fruit, and vegetables were vibrant, inviting us to linger and tempting us to purchase. The fish markets were especially interesting as they threw the fish to be wrapped once they had been selected and sold. The park bench along the waterfront beckoned us to sit in the warm sun and watch the ferries, sailboats, and freight ships in the harbor. The park was filled with people appreciating the warm fall day. Soon we walked back to the car and headed north for our dinner with Nathan and Zella. It was so good to see their home and hang out for a few hours. Our early departure and the 3 hour time difference were causing my eyes to close long before I wanted to leave.

The River beckons us

In the morning we headed to North Cascades National Park, a 2 hour drive from Seattle. It was foggy as we started driving and we hoped it would burn off to reveal blue skies. By the time we arrived at the park the clear skies were a brilliant blue. After a short stop at the Visitor’s Center we exited the door in the back of the building and found ourselves immersed in an old forest of fir trees and hemlocks. The narrow dirt path of the River Loop Trail descended swiftly to the forest floor as the rich smell of decaying logs amidst the beauty of 200 foot tall trees filled my senses. A nearby songbird and my foot hitting the soft brown dirt were the only sounds I heard.  A calm refreshment came to my soul as we continued under the shelter of the trees. Mottled sunshine reached down to large green ferns lining our soft mossy path. Suddenly, we could hear the rushing water and knew the river was close. A lone bald eagle followed the winding river in search of his next meal. Roots of a deciduous tree clung to the decaying trunk of an evergreen bringing new life to the canopy of the forest. The blue sky peaked through the deep green needles high above our heads. All we could say was “Wow!” The 2 mile loop began its ascent back to the visitor center, but first it led us through a burned-out area which was just beginning to recover with new growth. Once back at the Visitor Center we walked the 300 foot Sterling Munro Trail to platform overlooking the Pickett range. Miles and miles of forested mountains stretched out before us. Just up the road we stopped at Ladder Creek Falls. The suspension bridge over the Skagit River offered the best view of the Gorge Powerhouse. We marveled at the ingenuity of those who built the dam upriver to re-route enough water through the mountain to power four generators. We hiked the trail to a beautiful waterfall rushing over boulders revealing its power. There was a museum located within the powerhouse allowing us to view the generators and learn the story of the Skagit River. Miners had tried to find gold in the Cascades but little was discovered. Loggers tried to get to the heart of the Cascades to harvest the rich resource of lumber but they were hindered by the lack of accessible and reliable transportation. It was in the 1930’s that the first dam was built to create electrical power, but it took until 1972 before a modern road was built through the Cascade Mountain range. And this road is only accessible during the short warm season. For many years we had tried to acquire the resources of the Cascades and yet I think its most valuable resource – the majestic view – captivated me the most.

After a lunch break of our usual peanut butter sandwich we headed toward the Thunder Creek Trail in the heart of the park. Trees towered over our heads as we began our 3 mile hike into this old forest. We had about 2 ½ hours before sunset so I set off on a quicker pace than usual. Undulating hills led us along the cloudy blue water of Thunder Creek on a path first opened by miners in the early 1900’s. The girth of the cedar and fir trees surrounding us caused exclamations of wonder and awe. Our goal was to hike to the first bridge and then hike out before sunset. When we reached the wooden bridge in under 45 minutes I knew we would have no problem reaching the car in daylight. An enormous tree had twisted and separated from the trunk to stretch out 200 feet along the forest floor. We tried to imagine what had caused such destruction. My pace slowed on our hike out and we stopped to enjoy the sights along the way. There was about an hour of daylight left so we drove along State Route 20 until we entered Ross Lake National Recreation Area. We turned around and headed back to our hotel for the night.

Our view during lunch

We have been blessed with beautiful weather; blue skies and 70 degrees during the day. We headed south to Mount Rainier National Park and I was so excited. It was an uneventful 3 hour drive to the Nisqually entrance of the park where we would be staying the next 2 nights. We captured glimpses of Mount Rainier along the way, but I was unprepared for the grandeur of the mountain when we entered the park. After driving about 10 miles within the park, we stopped at a pullout with a fantastic mountain view and enjoyed our lunch. We marveled at the beauty of the mountain realizing that 10,000 people attempt to climb its summit each year. Only about 2,500 people make it. We drove 17 miles from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise where I wanted to hike the Skyline Loop. We only had 1 ½ days here so I wanted to take advantage of this gorgeous cloudless day. After checking my route with the Ranger at the Visitor Center she suggested an alternative route that would capitalize on the sunlight, the serene meadows and shorten our hike by one mile. We had our hydration packs with plenty of water, snacks, and my map. The trail began with a steep incline as we were about to climb 1700 feet in elevation toward panorama point. It was so worth it. The meadow was ablaze with red, orange, and yellow shrubs and deep green cedar and fir trees. Mount Rainier stood majestically before us, shining bright as light reflected off the many glaciers clinging to the rugged bare rock. Songs of praise continually were in my mind as we climbed higher and higher. At every trail juncture I consulted the map, tracking our progress. Occasionally we paused in the cool shade of the solitary tree to allow our racing hearts to slow before we continued our climb. The 14,410 foot tall mountain felt so close while we stood staring at the glacier vista. Glacial waterfalls joined streams to flow into the Nisqually River. We looked up trying to see where we were headed and saw people far above us. The trail beckoned us up.

Panorama Point, at 7,000 feet, was as high as we were going on this hike. We noticed backpackers take the trail up to Camp Muir where they would attempt to summit the next day. We watched small groups of tired mountaineers head down the mountain they had summited earlier. The sky was so clear we could see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and all the way to Mount Hood located 150 miles away.

Our hike down was just as beautiful as our hike up, and just as steep. We traversed across barren areas of the mountain and descended through meadows ablaze with color. The entire trail astounded our senses and filled us with joy. We relished our accomplishment at Paradise Inn - with our feet up and the sun shining on our faces. Our drive out of the park at sunset was sublime. What a great day!

On our second day we planned to check out a few of the many waterfalls within the Longmire area. I had read that the Comet Falls hike was one of the best so we headed to the trailhead. We snagged the last spot in the small parking lot. The 4.3 mile out and back trail began with a fairly steep incline to a bridge which revealed Christine Falls. The trail continued through the forest gradually gaining 1250 feet in elevation. I stopped to take in the view and slow my breaths. We hiked along the stream, sneaking peaks of the rushing water smoothing the granite rock, as it roared through the gorge. We encountered many small falls along the entire 2 mile hike and a few large waterfalls too. And then, we saw a sign indicating we were 200 feet from Comet Falls. We could hear it long before we could see it. We crossed a river on a roughhewed log, climbed the river bank, and then, there it was – a 300 foot waterfall cascading over a rock cliff tumbling into a deep pool. Mist created a beautiful rainbow at the base of Comet Falls. We sat on a nearby rock to take it all in and capture a few photos of the beauty. Our hike out was all downhill and we carefully watched our footing so not to stumble on the rocks and roots.

Narada Falls was our destination for lunch. The picnic area was a great place to observe the gray jays and the blue jays. They were quite bold and landed right on our table to try to steal our sandwiches; I was not sharing. The trail to the falls was just 2/10 of a mile with a 200 foot elevation change and so worth the beauty of the waterfall. This waterfall spreads out across the rock until all the water comes together again before plummeting into the Paradise River.

Taking the suspension bridge one at a time

We still had lots of time to explore another trail and I knew just what I wanted to do. We continued our drive up to Paradise so we could hike the Lakes trail. I had a map and picked our route for a 4 ½ mile hike along reflection lakes, colorful meadows, and a beautiful panorama view of the Cascade Range. I kept looking for elk and bear, but alas, I did not see any. But, on this hike I saw 6 ptarmigans walking along the path and eagles soaring in the sky. We were so glad we had chosen this trail.

Grove of the Patriarchs

Game time!

There was another hour before sunset and we headed toward the Stevens Visitor Center to hike in the Grove of the Patriarchs. It is an easy half mile trail that allowed us to hike among 1000 year old 200-foot tall hemlock, fir, and cedar trees. The drive was farther than I anticipated but I am so glad we did it. As we entered the forest a sense of awe overwhelmed me. In order to get to the grove one has to walk across the suspension bridge – one person at a time. It felt sacred to walk among these old trees that have been alive for so many years. Some of the trees are over 40 feet in diameter and I was dwarfed by their massive size. I felt honored to be here. Night was beginning to descend and our time at Mount Rainier National Park had come to an end. We slowly exited the park as the last rays of the sun closed out the day.

We headed back to Seattle to enjoy more time with Nathan and Zella. Our time in the Northwest was indeed a treasured experience, but nothing is more special than time with family.