Last Thursday we went for another hike in Mt Rainier National Park. Although we only caught a brief glimpse of the mountain peak this time,
the Carter Fall section of the Wonderland Trail is still quite beautiful.
Crossing the Nisqually River on a log bridge is always exciting. Even though it is probably as wide as a normal hallway, it never seems that wide when there’s a river rushing below you.
Although the trail was never as steep as the surrounding peaks would suggest,
it was a steady uphill climb as we followed a small creek up the mountain.
The highlight of this section of the Wonderland Trail is Carter Falls,
but there is a whole series of smaller falls that are also quite delightful and provide natural air-conditioning.
I was too winded to get a shot on the climb up the trail, but since it was an up-and-back trail, not a loop, this shot of Leslie and Paul walking down the trail suggests the steady, uphill
Even though I prefer loop trails where you constantly see new things, I saw things going downhill that I’d missed on the way up the trail, like this huge boulder that diverted the creek.
breathtaking!