Aug 4 - Naches Peak (Outside of Mt Ranier)

Looking for an easy hike today - my body needs it.

Heading out to hike Naches Peak this morning and then it's killing time on the drive to my next hotel in Puyallup. I'm staying there because I have reservations so I can do my planned Mt Tomlie hike on Thursday but there's rain in the forecast for Friday so I need to get to Mt St Helens tomorrow. I thought about trying to book another night in Kelso (eating the Puyallup hotel fees) so I would be guaranteed a hike at Mt St Helens early in the morning tomorrow but I'll just leave things as-is and have a long drive tomorrow.

No early start today. Breakfast is a 7am. Once fed, I head south the Tipsoo Lake (aka the Naches Peak Loop trail). Easy drive and I'm there before 8am. Lots of parking spaces available. I pick one and start on my way.

Trail info says to go clockwise so off I go around Tipsoo Lake in a clockwise direction. Lots of blooming flowers as expected. I only go down one side gaining elevation along the way, then I pass thru another flower-filled meadow before I reach the highway and the Rainier National Park sign. I cross a bridge over a road and continue to navigate around Naches Peak.

Tons of flowers the entire way. What I see depends on where I'm at on the trail but there are Harebell, Asters, Anemone (in seed), lupine, paintbrush,  

Monkeyflower

one Red Columbine,

and so many others.

Great views continue...

And butterflies (Mormon Frits

 Anna Blues, 

Mariposa Copper 

Purplish Frits

and a Parnassian and a White (don't think Parnassian  because of the way it flies)).

I anticipate views of Rainier around every curve but nothing except more great scenery. Somehow, I think the Rainier views are near the start of the trail except they are blocked by mountains.

At one point along the trail, I have to pull-off for a Llama team -- great way to backpack!

Soon after the llama, I reach a little shallow lake.

and what I think might be Naches Peak.




Continuing on, I finally reach mountain peaks and a lake.

And then there's Rainier. She looks lovely today - clear sky and the haze appears to have lifted.

Soon Tipsoo Lake is in view.

And there's Pollywogs in the waters!

Beautiful hike!

I'm done around 10:30. I hang around the parking lot to cool off and hey, kill some time because now, my day is just a drive. Thinking I should of did Bench/Snow hike & Silver Falls on Wed and went to Paradise today but I good.

I stop at Crystal Mt Lodge for Lunch - yes, yet another hamburger but it's good.

Then it's the drive stopping briefly to look at the Skookum Falls (not sure where the falls was -- looks like a river to me - a glacier one at that).

I do stop in Enumclaw to view the Mud Mountain Dam. The dam, completed in 1948, is 425 foot high and, at the time, the highest rock and earth-filled dam in the world.

There's Woodland Skipper there.

Then back to civilization and traffic on my way to Puyallup.

Great day!

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