Spray Park

Just what the soul needed ... a beautiful day amid massive flowers with best friends in Spray Park!

We finally got out into the mountains to take advantage of our long dry spell, and were totally blown away.  Spray Park has long been one of our favorite spots on the flanks of Mt Rainier, and it was good to get back there with some of our best friends.  We took the little side trip to Spray Falls on the way up, which we often skip.  And it was stunning!  (Why is it that we often skip this?).  Once up in the meadows, though, the flowers totally stole the show.  It posed a bit of a problem for Tom, though, since he has this "thing" for photographing flowers.  His progress was very slow.  And, while he can't capture the magnitude and true beauty of it all ... he has fun trying!  All this, and very few people or bugs.  What a great day!

The Mountain

Lower Reaches of Spray Falls

Bear Grass Galore

Flowers!

Indian Paintbrush and Lupines

Echo Rock (Mt Rainier in the Background)

Avalanche Lilies

More Photos

Activities

• Hiking from Mowich Lake to Spray Park, including the side trip to Spray Falls and a ways up the climbers route towards Echo Rock.

5-Star Moments

• Acres and acres of flowers!  All kinds!

Random Scenes

• Three folks descending into our space as we ate lunch at our high point.  The first guy blurts out ... "Do you know where the hell we are?  We've been lost for the last 4 hours."  They had missed the turn of the main trail (across the snow field and down into Mist and Seattle Parks) and had instead climbed up to a climbers camp (with a stone wall?).  It seemed like they were supposed to get to Mystic Lake, but it didn't seem likely ... mostly due to their fatigue.

Random Questions

• What's the name of those flowers?  We'll have to look in our book when we get home, but we always say that, never do, and repeat on the next trip!

Tom's Daily Stress Points

• Absolutely none!

Noteable Eats

• Buckley - Bootleggers Bar and Grill (consensus was very good bar fare).