July 23, 2009

Paradise

We left at 8:30 to get to visitors center by 9:00.  Center opens at 10:00 but given our experience of yesterday we wanted to be sure we got a spot in the lot.  We planned to hike one or two local trails before the center opened.  Even with the early time the lot was one third full.  We took a trail that leads to several views of Nisqually Glacier which feeds the Nisqually river that flows by the campground.  This trail still had patches of snow on it in spots.  LOTS of wildflowers.  Many varieties.  The park service has a whole brochure devoted to wildflowers of the area.  Saw several types of wild life also.

First was this.

That’s a frog if you couldn’t make it out.

Second was a martin (badger like mammal) but he was too quick to photo.

On our way back toward the visitors center we met a couple of there grazing near the path.

Here is a picture of Nisqually Glacier.  The dark spot in the center about a quarter way up the picture is the base of the glacier with the beginning of the river flowing out of it.  The glacier is the brownish mass above the river.  It is brown because of a rock slide that happened some time ago.  The dirt and rocks have coated and been incorporated into the glacier.  The water coming out of the base of the glacier is not a trickle.  It is a full blown river and moving fast.

Notice the clouds in the picture above.  More later.

Here is the Nisqually River from a bridge down river a ways.  That water is fast and loud.  Yes, at times the river is as wide as the rock bed you see.

 

When we got back to the parking lot the center was open and we caught a ranger led walk through the sub-alpine meadow to another waterfall.  The ranger discussed the wildflowers and other plants and trees of the area and how they survive in an area that averages over 600 inches of snow a year.

I mentioned the clouds.  When we got to the lot, all through our first hike, and half way through our second hike the views were like this:

The second half of our ranger walk and for the rest of the day the view was this:

Believe me there is a mountain there.

Sue has a before and after set from the same spot.

Rainier at 9:00

 

Rainier at 11:00

Again, the lot was full.  There were people everywhere and all they saw was the above view.

We toured the center, watched a movie on the mountain and park, and toured the Inn (Yes, there is one here too.  Again, historic and interesting.). 

This rustic piano hosted a famous pianist.  President Harry Truman played it on a visit to the park in 1945.

 

We left the parking lot about 1:30 (our spot was quickly grabbed up) and went to yet yet another falls to eat our lunch.

Myrtle Falls

Back to campground.  Evening Ranger talk was on history and dangers of climbing the mountain.