Rainier

Another early start but that is the only way to get around, or out in front, of the parking issues of the NPs.  We made the hour drive from the pad to Paradise to hike the Skyline trail on Mt. Rainier.  Along the way we interrupted a weird photoshoot with a purple mermaid in a glacial falls and morning fog. Skyline is a loop and an endless debate rages on about whether it should be hiked clockwise or counterclockwise. We went clockwise and the initial trail is topographically tough.  The trail portion is paved so there are no switchbacks and the altitude gain is a steep climb. The wild flowers were in full gorgeous bloom and the cold drafts of air from the glaciers were refreshing.  A few times we even heard the crack and moans of the shifting glaciers. We were seldom out of sight of marmots, including a prurient rodent in the restroom at Panoramic Point.  We noshed on some lunch and rested a bit.  A chipmunk hopped into Ella's lap to investigate her cliff bar. Merrick spotted a "chicken" walking across an ice field, which must have been a spruce grouse.  The views were amazing and the smells were wonderful but neither of them could be captured adequately on film.