Leslie and David's Wanderings: 3 August 2019 Snow Lake

Anticipating beautiful weather and a weekend crowd from Seattle, we were up early to get to the trailhead before parking became an issue. We hit the entrance gate at 8:15 and were at the Snow Lake trailhead at 9. We got the last parking spot in the small parking lot. The trail would take us to Bench Lake and then on to Snow lake (3.4 miles, 538 feet of elevation gain, 1,317 calories burned). The initial climb was steep but then opened up to a beautiful alpine meadow covered in wild flowers. We came to the split where a side trail went down to Bench Lake. We took the side trail and found ourselves bush whacking through a heavily overgrown and poorly maintained trail. But when we got to the lake, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainer across the lake with an excellent reflection in the water. We could have spent the whole day just absorbing that view! Worth every scratch! We moved on to Snow Lake. We were a little disappointed, expecting something like Avalanche Lake in Glacier NP, but the waters were turquoise blue and so clear we could see fish swimming around. After pausing for pictures, we decided to push on up the trail until we came to the trail end sign. Hoping to get some better pictures, we pushed on beyond the trail end sign, heading for a snowfield whose melt was feeding the lake. We had to do some serious boulder hoping, but eventually came to a waterfall that was fed by the snowmelt and climbed up in altitude enough that we could see the whole lake. With Unicorn Peak in the background, and multiple waterfalls from snowmelt higher up the mountain, it was a beautiful sight. After a rest and a snack we headed back for the trailhead. The temperatures had warmed up and the mosquitoes and flies had come out in full force. It felt good to get our legs under us again. The hike back was tiring, but exhilarating as at every turn in the trail there was a new view of Mt. Rainer. Getting hot and sweaty on the hike back, Leslie decided we needed a cold beer, so we headed for Paradise Inn. Well it was a beautiful sunny day and half of Seattle must have decided to go to Paradise because it was packed! There were people everywhere! We figured we would not get a parking spot, but we gave it a shot anyway. Leslie said she was feeling lucky. Well, we finally gave up after a half hour of circling parking lots and headed for Narada Falls overlook. We were lucky to get a parking spot and even snagged a picnic table in the shade! The parking lot and overlook trail were packed with people, but we managed to make our way down and were happy to see a rainbow at the bottom of the falls. A good day despite all the crowds. We headed back to the Wanderer, dirty, tired but very happy. Critter sighting: a good size Marmot crossed the road in front of us as we were leaving Paradise.

Once back at the Wanderer and cleaned up, Leslie pulled out the Mt. Rainer puzzle she had purchased at the visitor center. It looks like it will keep us busy for several evenings since we do not have TV, cell phone or internet for entertainment.