Elevation Gain: Approximately 2400 ft
Time: 10:45 am - 3:45 pm
Weather: Mostly cloudy, with rare sun breaks, no rain :)
There are some weeks that just seem to be non-stop work, and this week was the third one of these kind of weeks in a row. On Tuesday, the outdoor club at my school met, and I volunteered to take kids on a hike Sunday. I don't know what I was thinking, Friday was the homecoming football game (I worked the chain gang), Saturday was the Homecoming dance (I chaperoned the early shift), and Sunday I was going to take kids on a hike?!? I told the kids to meet me in the morning at 8 am, and we were going to leave at 8:15 am. This morning I woke up, looked at my watch, and it was 8:06 am. I ran into my outdoor gear room, threw on some hiking clothes, ran out to my car, cleaned out the mess while leaving my pack, rain gear, boots, poles, and gaiters, and drove as quickly as I could to the grocery store near my school. I was relieved when I arrived at 8:27 am and saw two kids waiting and a dad with them. Thankfully they were able to laugh it off, and I went to buy food and coffee for the hike. We were on the road around 8:45 am.
We arrived at the trailhead by 10:30. I was geared up and walking by 10:45. I realized I forgot my camera, but one of the kids had his. The original plan was to go see Comet Falls in Mount Rainier National Park. I thought it was like an 8 mile hike round-trip, but it is only about 4. We were up to the falls in about an hour. They were spectacular. It is a giant waterfall the hits rock below and sprays water everywhere. We were feeling great, and we continued up to Van Trump Park. The next mile was steep, but the pay off was sweet, a beautiful alpine meadow with the changing colors of fall and low hanging clouds lifting to reveal great views to the south of the Tatoosh Range and Mt. Adams, the flat top St. Helens was barely visible above the clouds. A long lunch break at the Van Trump Park was great but chilly. We left after about 40 minutes and continued a bit further up the trail to Mildred Point.
The last push up to the point was grueling. These always seem to be the hardest parts of hikes for me lately. I know the payoff is so great, but when I am walking up a slope at a steep-ish pitch I struggle with the conversation I have with myself in my own head. Thankfully I had some trail company to keep my spirits up and to give me the strength to push through the discomfort. And as it has been the case in the past, the top of Mildred Point was sweet and worth the effort. I think since the steep hills have "too much" lately, I need to do more hike like this and push through this mental block. We spent some time hanging in this magical place below Point Success. The mountain was glorious right above us and we got to explore and climb up on some rocks. We turned to walk out at around 1:45 pm.
The hike down was great. It went quickly and without any trouble. We were passing people once we got below Comet Falls. We were back at the car by 3:45. It was an amazing day, and I was so glad I chose to bring kids. For yet another week, my life was made better by walking in the woods. I was super stressed before I began walking, but the mountain took all of that away. I am ready for a new week, but already excited for my hike next weekend. A big milestone will happen on next week's hike. It will be the first hike in my thirties.
Orchid: The Van Trump Park and Mildred Point.
Onion: Hard to find one on a day like today, maybe being in my own head so much on the steep slopes.
Picture:
Google Map
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