With so many great hikes around Mt. Rainier, we seldom repeat the same hike, but we did hike the Reflection Lake trail just two weeks after our first hike there because Paul couldn’t hike and Mira wanted to join us for the first time and we felt it was a good introductory hike.
Besides, after two weeks of unusually warm temperatures the hike was quite different than it had been before. For one thing, there wasn’t a single Avalanche Lily in sight but they had been replaced with lots of new flowers.
The view of Pinnacle Peak from the top of the trail was quite different, too. It wasn’t shrouded in clouds as it had been two weeks before, and the snow fields had virtually disappeared.
For better or worse, we didn’t see any bears on this trip.
I managed to catch up with Leslie and Mira long enough to get this shot of the two of them at The Overlook.
It is always a pleasure to walk with kids or grandkids sharing your love of these special places — even while dispelling the notion that you’re still in good shape while trying to catch up with a teenager who spends most of the year playing softball.
Still, looking down at Louise Lake I could comfort myself knowing that I still covered quite a few miles and nearly a thousand feet of altitude simply by persisting and placing one foot in front of another
and, back at the car, we were rewarded with a beautiful view of Mt. Rainier with a near reflection, a view we hadn’t experienced two weeks earlier because it was shrouded in clouds.
Kylan has walked a lot with us the previous two years, but Mira hasn’t been able to join us because her softball practice and games have conflicted with our hikes. She really seemed to enjoy this hike, though, and, hopefully, we will be able to find ways for her to hike with us next year.