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JohnRich

Day Hike: Mt. Rainier, Comet Falls

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I recently spent a four-day weekend in Seattle, Washington, for a wedding, and snuck away for one-day with my gal for a visit to nearby Mt. Rainier National Park.

The day hike we chose to do was to the 300-foot high Comet Falls, which is a two-mile hike up 1,600 feet in elevation. What follows in this thread will be some photos of the scenary from that trip.

Photo 1: The entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park.

Photo 2: The trailhead is a tight little parking space along the mountain road, near Christine Falls. This small waterfall flows under the road, which passes over it on a stone bridge. It's a nice scenic spot, and a preview of more to come.

The second photo is a bit crooked because the camera is propped on a rock, 'cause I didn't have my backpack with tripod with me. Nor my walking stick. I hate hiking without my walking stick. And there weren't any good sticks to be found along the trail either.

Note: the facial identity of my gal will be obscured, as she wants to keep her privacy.

- John

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Photo 1: This photo is a bit phuzzy for some reason. I was trying to capture the interesting pattern of exposed tree roots that create a maze to trip you up on the trail. Fortunately, it wasn't this tough the entire way up the mountain. It was a 2-mile hike up to the falls, with a 1,600-foot elevation gain. That's like climbing the stairs to the Empire State Building observation deck. Twice! It's a healthy climb, and takes three to four hours round-trip at a leisurely pace.

Photo 2: There are a lot of gargantuan old-growth trees around the mountain. This one, as big as it is, is just a pip-squeak compared to many others. The most common trees are Douglas fir, red cedar and hemlock. All new stuff to me, as I'm a virgin to the Pacific northwest.

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the facial identity of my gal will be obscured, as she wants to keep her privacy



Sure, sure. How do we really know that's 'your gal'? It's probably your sister and you're too embarassed to admit it. :$



That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We're not siblings, not cheating on spouses, nor ashamed of being seen with each other. It's just her little thing about internet photos. Women can be like that, and I darned sure better respect it...

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Not a bad little hill, is it?



It was absolutely gorgeous. I'd love to spend more time there with more hiking. In the summer. They were already getting ready to shut things down for the winter, as apparently much of the park becomes inaccessible in heavy snow.

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Yep, you can't beat the hiking opportunities up here from about July-September. Any earlier or later and it's likely to be still snowed in or damned mushy. There are a few great year-round hikes, though, and there's plenty of other things to do outdoors (hell, just strap on the snowshowes) in the winter.

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Photo 1: Me, climbing over a boulder field, in front of a rare spot of color. Everything was mostly either rock, or green. So this field of orange-yellow was worth a photo. My gal has since turned off her camera option which ruins the photo with that great big date stamp.

Photo 2: So what the heck was I doing risking sprained ankles climbing up those rocks? Chasing pikas. Say what? What the heck are pikas? Pikas are little mouse-like critters about the size of hamsters. They dart in and out of the crevices amongst the boulders. This is the only one I managed to get a photo of. He's holding something in his mouth, maybe with which to build a nest.

More to follow tomorrow.

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Bridges:

Photo 1: The trail followed a creek up the mountain to the waterfall, all of which is fed by snowmelt from the glaciers on top of Mt. Rainier, which last year-round. You have to cross the stream several times, and the Park is nice enough to provide log bridges for that. This one is a giant log laid across the raging creek. The log is flattened on top, with grooves cut into it for traction, and a rail on one side only. It's not that wide, and it makes you go carefully across it, as the rocks and water underneath are dangerous. You really wouldn't want to fall in.

Photo 2: Same bridge, with a larger perspective of the creek and surrounding woods. My gal is standing upon the sun-dappled bridge.

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Comet Falls!

1) Approaching from the trail. Gorgeous! And worth the huff-and-puff hike.

2) Close-up view. 300-feet high. Most of the water turns to spray before it ever reaches the ground. Watching the water break up as it comes over the edge is endlessly fascinating. Well, at least it was for me, but it doesn't take much to entertain me.

3) Standing in the impact area. Even though I'm not under the water, you get soaked from the spray real quick down here, just standing close. In addition, there is a pressure wave of air following the water down, that makes the wind blow at about 25 mph down there, even though it's perfectly calm up above.

More tomorrow.

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the facial identity of my gal will be obscured, as she wants to keep her privacy



Sure, sure. How do we really know that's 'your gal'? It's probably your sister and you're too embarassed to admit it. :$



That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We're not siblings, not cheating on spouses, nor ashamed of being seen with each other. It's just her little thing about internet photos. Women can be like that, and I darned sure better respect it...



I've discovered your little secret John, the camera never lies! :o:o:o
When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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I've discovered your little secret John, the camera never lies! :o
Attachments: John's Gal.JPG (93.8 KB)



Shhhh - don't tell Bill. I'll be in the White House in '08!

Then there will be free demo jumps onto the White House lawn out of the Marine One helicopter.

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Photo 1: My gal and I at an overlook in front of Mt. Rainier. The peak is most often covered in clouds, or hidden above a cloud layer. I waited all day for this moment to get a mostly clear shot of the mountain.

Photo 2: View of Rainier from the airplane. The place we hiked is well below that snow line, and still inside the tree line. You need serious climbing gear and training to tackle those glaciers and get to the top.

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