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Yesterday I returned to Mt. Rainier to make my hikes great again. Lol



No paved trails here, just lot's of waterfalls.







The rare Pacific Northwest Roc Lobster







Getting close to Comet Falls. 380 ft total height in four drops with the longest drop being 318 ft.





An interesting fix to a washed out portion of the trail.



Caly 3



We made it as far as Van Trump Park and had to head back because it was getting late.

WOW!! Those falls are awesome!! NICE!! Thanks for posting Chad!!! John :)

Hows the new boots???

jmh58 wrote:WOW!! Those falls are awesome!! NICE!! Thanks for posting Chad!!! John :)

Hows the new boots???

Thanks John.

I only have about a dozen miles on the boots but so far they have been great. The real test now will be when I get out in the pouring rain and see how well they keep my feet dry.

Great Pics Chad! You're lucky to have easy access to such beautiful trails. :)

Not exactly wondering, but in the woods anyway.

BTG wrote:Not exactly wondering, but in the woods anyway.2015-05-26-11-22-12-1280x720.jpg

Very nice BTG!

I hiked into remote Coyote Lake a couple of days ago. I didn't have a decent camera with me so the pics are not that great. The hike was just over 11 miles round trip.

The first mile was all down hill as we dropped into the valley and then crossed the Clear Fork of the Cowlitz River.


After crossing the river the trail was mostly up. We found some signs of bear below the lake.




A distant range with Old Snowy and some other peaks.


Coyote Lake




We did a little fishing but didn't even get a nibble.


Blurry knife pic.


There were hundreds of small (one inch) frogs all along the trail and then I found this guy hopping down the trail on our way out.

Once more.. Nice pics!! John

It was more than two weeks since my last hike so I was getting a little antsy and needed to get out. Yesterday I hiked the Skyline trail at Mt. Rainier but it was a cloudy morning so the views were obscured. The weather went from clouds to mist to rain to sleet and at one point I think it was snowing. The weather got better once I started driving down the mountain so I stopped and did a couple short hikes on my way home.

Menacing clouds.


Creek across a cloudy meadow.




Saw this marmot chilling on a rock.


And this squirrel came right up to me to beg for food.




This was my main carry for the day.


Anybody else use the facilities at 7000 feet yesterday? :D
This trail has one of the nicest pit toilettes that I've ever seen. It uses a cliff face as two of the walls and the rest is built from rocks that would have been found in the area. It was also very clean inside.


In addition, it has a cool little hobbit door.


Most of the wildflowers were gone but you can see a few left along this little creek.


This little guy also came along for the hike.


A small falls.


A bigger falls.


The next few shots were taken on my way down the mountain.

Stevens Creek.


Nickel Creek




PPT

Today I did some real wandering. I hiked about 5.3 miles and only about a mile of it was actually on a trail. We've had some rain and cooler temperatures lately so I thought that I'd check some of my secret (shhhh) mushroom patches.

There was nothing in my first location so I just kept moving and lo and behold, or maybe it should be LOW and behold:



I picked up a few more chanterelles and then came across this interesting puffball.





There's something lurking under the soil. :eek:



The Tasman takes out the lobster mushroom (but it's not really a mushroom).



Found a few more chanterelles.



Today's haul.



Tomorrow we'll be having wild mushroom soup for dinner. :)

Yesterday I headed back to Mt. Rainier National Park and hiked to Mildred Point. This hike starts on the same great trail that takes you to Comet Falls and Van Trump Park. I logged over 7.5 miles with about 3200 ft. of elevation gain.

Here's shot of Comet Falls.



Following the trail beyond Van Tramp Park it takes you to the top of Comet Falls. I thought that there would be a better view from the top but this is all you see.



At one of the creek crossings I got my first glimpse of Rainier but the clouds were not cooperating.



Another shot of Rainier from the trail with some huckleberries showing their fall colors in the foreground.



Not far to go now.



I made it to Mildred Point but clouds were still not cooperating. Rainier makes it's own weather sometimes.



At Mildred Point you get a clear view of Rainier across the Kautz Creek Canyon.



I took some time for a couple knife photos at the top but I only had one knife with me today.





More shots from Mildred Point.

The Tatoosh Range with Mt. Adams behind.

We're suppose to get hammered with rain for the next several days and the weather was good yesterday, so I headed back to the Skyline Trail to get some better photos. Sorry if you're tired of looking at the same old scenery but I think that I have some nice knife pics this time.

Goldengate Trail




Bradley on ice














I found some Lava on the volcano




Bradley on boots


Rainier with the Nisqually glacier


Looking across the Nisqually glacier at a waterfall


Looking down the Nisqually river valley


Squirrel!


Baby Goddard






Leafstorm


The clouds moved in


I saw four small herds of elk on my way home. This is one of the town herds hanging out on the hotel lawn.

You need to submit the "Bradley On Ice" for photo of the week.

Hey Chad.. Never tire of that beautiful scenery!! Comet Falls is SWEET!!! Thanks for posting!!!! John

This is my favorite thread on the whole site.

Northglenn500 wrote:This is my favorite thread on the whole site.

I AGREEEE!!!!! :D Thanks Chad!!!!! John :)

Northglenn500 wrote:This is my favorite thread on the whole site.

Thanks! :) I need to get out again but the weather hasn't been good.

I got out of the house today for a short hike and by the time I got to the trailhead it even stopped raining but I didn't bring my good camera so the pictures aren't great. :D

I had my new Delica with me today.






Mt. Adams from the top of Tongue Mt.


Mt. Rainier covered in clouds.


Mt. St. Helens with a fresh coat of snow.


Looking down at a mountain goat.


The Tasman was also along for the hike.






Drying the Tasman after it's creek encounter.


I only found a handful of edible mushrooms on my hike so I decided to go to a spot where I usually find chanterelles. I did find some, and then I found this. :eek:



For those that don't know, this is chicken of the woods and it is considered a choice edible. :) :spyder:

It's been toooooooo long since I've gone wandering. Today it was a balmy 40 degrees with partly sunny skies and I had a little time to go wander around the valley. I only had one knife with me today, my new stretch. Enjoy! :) :spyder:







And now for some scenery.





Looks like the eagles are back for the winter.

We're suppose to get another round of snow and/or rain starting tomorrow so I decided to hit the trails today. It was a short 3.5 miles in blazing 22 degree heat. :D

Here are some shots along the trail.











My goal was to make it to Curtain Falls and I did.







And now for the knife photos.







Hope you liked the pics. :) :spyder: