Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Off to Judy's mountain for a couple of days

Thursday September 10th - Saturday September 13th (Days 452-454)
We were busy with company from Keith's wedding through Tuesday, so on Wednesday we cleaned up a bit and packed Howie for a quick getaway. The weather was going to be great, and we hadn't made it to Mt. Rainier this year yet, so that's where we headed.





A view of the mountain from Clear Lake. It looks like a great place to live! Harris only wants to know if people there have high speed internet.



Our camping spot at Cougar Rock campground, on the Paradise side. We spent a lot of time reading and relaxing.



There was a group of Delorean drivers who congregated at Paradise on Friday.




Instead of wildflowers, in September we get reds and oranges on the hillside from the bushes that change color.


And of course, marmots are always entertaining to watch along the trail.








We hiked up the east side of the Skyline trail. We started out too late in the day to do the whole trail, but still got a work out doing just a few miles. Harris is trying out his new gadgets....portable tripod and setting up the shot from his iphone. It worked!


Friday was a hot day to hike...nearly 80 degrees, and no wind to cool us down...very unusual! We certainly needed our "blessed shade" stops.



A view looking back over the trail.




We stopped on the way back to cool our feet in the mountain stream. Pretty cold!




Another shot of the stream.



First night's dinner....barbecued chicken, salad and baked potatoes!




Breakfast both mornings was scrambled eggs with ham, bacon and toast which always taste so much better when camping.



On Saturday we drove down to Longmire lodge and enjoyed the scenery from the front porch. This porch is a traditional stop whenever we head up to the mountain.



Then we took a short hike to Kautz Creek. This hike was blessedly shaded and pretty level all the way. Our sore legs appreciated that!

A goodbye shot from the other side as we drove home. It was relaxing trip with great weather. Seems we did the same weekend last year. Maybe the August trip will become a September trip instead!

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