Washington Odyssey: Mount Rainier National Park (part 1)

July 5
Today we departed from the Blue Heron Inn and headed for Mount Rainier National Park. We had a quick lunch in the town of Packwood, only 88 miles away, and where we would also spend two nights. Then it was up highways 12 and 123 to the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center, in the southeastern corner of the park, where, as well as viewing the exhibits, we picked up a map of the hiking trails in the area.

The first walk we took is known as the "Grove of the Patriarchs," a gentle walk through old growth forest.

After the first stretch of forest, there is a suspension bridge across the river.

The sign says "Recommended one person on the bridge at a time," but sometimes that warning is ignored. After the bridge, much of the path is on a boardwalk.

The fallen trees provide a platform and, as they decay, nutrition for seedlings and young trees. Such trees are called "nurse logs."

In the above photo, several trees are growing from one nurse log whose decay is advanced but not complete. Often a straight line, or colonnade, of trees reveals where once there was a nurse log.

One downed tree revealed fascinating swirls and knobs, looking almost like a lava flow or topographic map.

At another point there was a short side path to the junction of a creek and a spring rich in iron and sulfur.

A frog was calmly spying on us from just a few feet away. I wonder what he thought of us?

A loop on the boardwalk took us through the heart of the grove, where the air was especially cool and the sunlight heavily filtered by the canopy.

A special platform for photo opportunities had been built in front of two towering trees.

Here's a small part of what you see if you gaze up. Looking any higher than this, the glare of the sun interfered.

After returning to the parking area we crossed the road and headed down to Silver Falls. Generally, this trail is a moderate downhill grade. Here is picture looking back up the way we had come, with the path on the right.

This image is of the first major cascade of the falls.

There is a strong whirlpool at the bottom of this plunge, which had trapped a convoy of logs. I was fascinating by their spinning, and wondered how long it would take for them to finally escape. A long time, I expect, perhaps when the current finally slows down. Not while I was there. Although the view is heavily misted from the falls, I took this video.

A short distance further is a bridge that crosses the gorge, giving me a vantage point from which to look straight down.

 And from the far side I took this picture aiming back up the watercourse.

This post has been full of trees and water. Well, we saw lots of trees and water on this Cascades trip. Waterfalls and bridges are very photogenic. I have a picture of a waterfall by the side of the road in this area, but I will omit it, to avoid overdosing you on waterfalls. Sitting on a rock to the side of this waterfall, however, was a juvenile American dipper, so we can expand this post to include trees, water, and birds. Always take your binoculars with you.

This fellow almost looks like a twin to the one we saw on Orcas Island; that picture is about three-quarters of the way into this post.

Tomorrow we would not get close to so much water, unless you count snow, but we would see Mount Rainier both on a hike and driving the highest paved road in the Mount Rainier National Park. Next post!