Fall is my favorite hiking season. I love the cool afternoons, I love the vibrant color, and I love the open trails. The clouds began to clear as we climbed, and by the time we began to descend, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Such a beautiful experience.
Rather chilly at the summit, I think about 40 degrees!
The few weeks before fall in the PNW are some of my favorite weeks out of the year. The bugs are gone, the crowds are gone, and the weather is still amazing. It's a great time for hiking! We headed to Sauk a few days ago for a quick hike, and as usual it did not disappoint. We had the summit to ourselves.
Yesterday evening I was finally able to hike to beautiful Park Butte. My husband has hiked it several times, even once staying in the lookout, but somehow I'd never ventured up there. The access for the Easton Route on Mount Baker is up the same trail, so half the hike I'd done before, but the second half - the half I hadn't seen - is the most stunning.
We turned it into a date night with the help of my husband's parents who graciously agreed to watch Charles. Normally we take the little guy along, but with our plan to hike down at night, we decided having a baby on our front was not the best idea, as we were much more likely to stumble in the dark. It was a lovely time of day to see this beauty for the first time, and we will certainly be returning.
Neither of us had ever hiked Barlow Point before, but we were looking for something short enough that Charles wouldn't get fussy, and steep enough that Darin could get some weight training in. I'm incredibly bitter about sitting out mountaineering season again this year, but letting Darin still go climb means I can make him carry Charles.
While the view at the top isn't a 360, it still is lovely. It was torture hiking down before sunset, but with the uneven trail and baby on my front on the way down (so his fresh outfit didn't get all sweaty) it was definitely a good idea to not hike down in the dark.
Penstemon, I'm guessing
Red Columbine
Bunchberry
With clouds in the forecast, you almost never end up with what you were expecting. But the beauty of Mount Rainier is that even with very little contrast, it's still a looker.
