One day, three hikes, three miles, in paradise...literally.

The Paradise area of Mt. Rainier is a beautiful place to explore! With a laid back day in mind, we visited Myrtle Falls, Narada Falls, and Nisqually Vista Loop for a total of less than 3 miles hike-walking, and less than 500 feet of elevation gain. While the mountain was not out for us today, the views and wildflowers were still wonderful. Another plus was the lack of mosquitos and their requisite 57 bites each. It was a happy occurrence to leave the bug spray in the backpack. Instead we feasted our eyes on waterfalls, glacier, and plenty of wildflowers.

As much as we enjoyed the day, it was also nice to arrive back home before dark and have some wind down time before going to the mattresses. Not so for next week as we tackle Skyline Trail to Panorama Point. From Myrtle Falls we were able to see that the pesky snow fields typically present at any given time are substantially melted off this year. It's an open invitation from Mamma Nature to enjoy the more challenging hike, more comfortably and safely. SO, here we come!

As always...HIKE ON!