Paradise

More photos from the Paradise area of Mt Rainier National Park. From the National Park Service website: "When (early settler) James Longmire’s daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, 'Oh, what a paradise!'"--and thus the site was accurately named. Above, looking down the meadow with deer in the foreground and Paradise Inn behind them.
Map of the Paradise Area trails, stretching up to the Nisqually Glacier, which we did not have time to see. The trail to Camp Muir, base camp for Mt Rainier summit attempts, also begins here. Trails range from pleasant, paved strolls to snowfield trudges.
The charming Paradise Ranger Station, standing straight and tall.
Beautiful, silky cloud formation seen over Tahoma from the meadow.
A peak at the lodge through the trees. This sub-alpine region is the tallest drivable point in the park. It's below the treeline, but the trees have started to shorten.
Baby conifer spouting out the trail side.
A cautious (but very curious) fawn hiding in the trees.
View of the Inn and parking lot from higher up on the trails.
Cutting of the trails destroys protected meadow.
A great look out for taking photos of the Nisqually Glacier (above) on Tahoma. We were there before the snowfalls, but Paradise is one of the snowiest places on earth, receiving 680 inches annually. I would love to go back and stay at the lodge to do some cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
A flowery hillside.
Alpine wildflowers.
More meadow views.
More deer. They weren't frightened of us at all! Living here, they are used to being protected. We're more of an annoyance than anything.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say again what a wonderful, beautiful place this is. And we only explored a portion of it--but hopefully will be back again soon.

Paradise Visitor's Center (John Muir Got It Right)

I am awed by Paradise.
The steps say it all. This visitor center is the highest driveable point in the park. The alpine meadow above defies description. I hope my photos and videos give you even just a slight understanding of what it is like. My travels are meager compared to Muir but I have not been to a more beautiful place.
From the visitor center, a few miles of paved footpaths weave around the enormous flowered meadow. Families of deer peak in and out of trees yards away from you, holding up foot traffic if they decide to take their time crossing your path (it's forbidden to disturb the wildlife, you have to wait for them to go on their way). The higher you hike, the clearer the view of the glaciers on Tahoma.
I could stay here for a long, long time. It is my happy place, and I'm happy it's protected.

Another Great View of Tahoma

The view of moody Tahoma (Rainier), in its persistent cloud cover, from Narada Falls.

Narada Falls

Another beautiful stop along the road from Longmire to Paradise. Above, the top pool of Narada falls from a footbridge. You can see the end of the path at the bottom.
Heed our warning. Also, I had a funny feeling that Paradise was located near the restroom. For some reason.
Narada, Hindu for "pure."
Berries grow along side it.
A short, pleasant walk to a very peaceful place after our long climb.

Christine Falls

Christine Falls is a popular stop on the side of the road from Longmire to Paradise in Mt Rainier National Park. It's a picturesque multi-tiered falls bisected by a WPA-era stone bridge.
And I challenge anyone to try to drive by with out stopping to snap some photos.
View looking up from the road. See the foot bridge at the top?
View from the lookout point where our photo was taken. That pool collects water that cascades down even further.
The bottom.
The view straight down.
Wildflowers growing on the side of the road.

Pika: Unbridled Cutness

Will you please check out this Mr Pika-Pants. He is the cutest of all wild woodland creatures.

What with his living under rocks.
And his coming out to see if maybe, just maybe, you have some food to give him. These national-park types know what's up.

Descent

More fun pictures from the way back.

On Top of Eagle Peak

From Hiking Mt Rainier National Park by Heidi Schneider and Mary Skjelset:
"The now-anglicized Eagle Peak was once referred to by the Native American term sim-layshe, which literally means eagle.
George Longmire changed sim-layshe to Eagle Peak.
Of of the most interesting attributes of this hike is the variety in the surroundings.
You begin in a dense virgin forest and end in subalpine rocky terrain.
The trail itself, however, changes little, holding to a steady climb.
... For the sake of aesthetics, hope for a clear day.
The Eagle Peak saddle provides a fantastic view of the Nisqually Valley, The Nisqually Glacier, the Tatoosh Range, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier.
...Option: If you feel the need to conquer the peak, the climb to the summit is a scramble up a rocky face.
You should have some climbing experience before attempting the summit.
This options adds about 0.5 mile to your hike, raising the total round-trip hike to nearly 8 miles."