Tolmie Peak and Eunice lake

A few weeks a ago I decided to take a day trip out to Mt. Rainier. I got going late, so instead of going to spray park like I wanted to, I only went to the short Tolmie peak trail. It was rather warm that day, and I didn’t start out right. When I got to the trailhead I found that the camel back had leaked all over most of my gear, The camera was low on batteries and memory, I had forgotten to bring several things that I wanted, and it was my first time out with my new GPS and I couldn’t get a fix. I repacked my bag with what was still dry a set off. When I got to Eunice lake, It was very clear and beautiful, but the sight of Tolmie peak towering above the lake was a little intimidating. I gave in to the temptation to turn around there, but when I started back and saw the majesty of Rainier through the trees, I had to climb higher to get a better view. So within another 20 minutes I had climbed the extra 600 vertical feet to the fire lookout at the top. The view was amazing, but significantly less than it could have been because of all the smoke from the wildfires in the area. I had brought Ariele’s nice camera with the telephoto lens and really enjoyed the chance to look at Rainier up close and had it been a clear day I would have had some excellent photos of the glaciers. On the way back I found quite a few blueberry bushes along the trail and they made for some very tasty foraging. I would like to return to this trail later in the season when it is clear and there is dusting of snow.