August 27, 2020 Thursday
Not wanting to repeat yesterdays futile chase, we ate breakfast in the room from our hardworking food cooler. We checked out of the Gateway Inn at 9:15 and headed back into the Park. Our first stop about 10 miles into the Park was at Christine Falls. We stopped at a small parking lot which gave us access to the short trail leading to an overlook from which we could view the falls. It is part of the Van Trump Creek and descends about 70 feet in two stages. It is traversed by the Christine Falls Bridge. We did not linger here.
Our next stop, about 5 more miles, was at Narada Falls. There was a larger parking area here from which there was a view of the falls, but not a great view. After having to seek directions we crossed a bridge that lead to a steep, staircase path which lead us to the lake into which the falls dropped. This two tiered falls drop 176 feet as part of the Paradise River that is formed by glacier melt.
A look downriver and up at the mountain could be viewed from the same spot.
We hiked back up to the parking area, took advantage of some vintage restrooms and then continued east, passing Paradise and Reflection Lakes and transitioning onto Stevens Canyon Road, open only seasonally. After about 10 miles we stopped at Box Canyon. This really a gorge, formed by the erosive action of the Muddy Fork of the Cowiltz River. The gorge began as a crack in the granite bedrock which over the years was carved out by the rocks and pebbles in the river that is fed by the glacier which is only three miles up the canyon. In many places the gorge is only 13 feet wide, but as deep as 115 ft and has very vertical walls.
A short hike on the trail afforded another good view of the mountain.
Our final destination in the Park was the Grove of the Patriarchs. It is 18 miles further east in the southeast portion of the Park near the Ohanapecosh entrance. It is located in a valley at 2000ft and is the only area of the Park from which one cannot view Mt. Rainier. After missing the parking area fro the trailhead and driving out of the Park, we turned around and reentered the Park. he small parking area was full so we parked along the road just west of the trailhead. To get to the Grove we initially hiked on the Eastside trail. This was a wonderful hike along the Ohanapecosh River that was easy, calm and beautiful. Suitable for all ages. This river is one of nine in the Park, one of only two that are not glacier fed and the only one that does not ultimately flow into Puget Sound. It flows into the Columbia River. The water was so clear that you could see the rocks at the bottom. There were lots of mushrooms along the trail. We encountered many other hikers, most not wearing masks.There were lots of trees, many of them big, along the trail. The Western Hemlock is densely needled whose copious quantities of seeds littered the trail. The Douglas fur is one of the largest trees and most abundant trees in the lowland forest. It grows fast and can reach heights of 250 feet during its 1000 year lifespan.
After about half a mile we reached a rickety suspension bridge across the river. It could only safely handle one adult at a time. That was the entrance to the Grove, an island populated by the Patriarchs, very large trees, Trees so large that it made me feel tiny. These trees had trunks that were as much as 40 ft in diameter, 300 ft high and a 1000 years old. After walking a short distance on a sandy trail along the river, we followed a boardwalk loop through ancient giants weaving our way under their canopy stopping at the many interpretive signs along the way.
We hiked back out and then had a picnic lunch near the trailhead.
After lunch we exited the Park and began the drive to Yakima. Initially we drove south on route 123, but quickly we turned onto route 12 which took us on a scenic drive through the William O Douglas (a former Supreme Court Justice who was appointed by FDR and served over 36 years. He became an environmentalist and in one dissent argued that trees have standing to sue. More lastingly he authored the majority opinion in the Griswold decision which was the first to recognize the right to privacy in a contraception case. He was a vigorous advocate for individual rights and freedom of speech. It was a beautiful drive and we passed the White Pass ski area and traveled through the Rimrock Tunnel.
We arrived in Yakima about 3:30 and checked into the Howard Johnson's that was just outside downtown. Pleasent place with a very large room. The Visitor's Information enter was closed, so we drove into downtown without a plan except to plug in the car at the same charging station we had used two weeks prior during our trip out to Washington.
We walked around downtown, but it was very quiet. There were very few people on the street and little car traffic. Many stores were closed. It was also very hot. This was the first time we had experienced hot weather for almost two weeks since we had earlier passed through Yakima.
We settled in at the Single Hill Brewing brew pub. Good beer and low prices. We drank in the outdoor garden where there were lots of dogs running around. Then we walked over to dinner at the Olive Garden. It was very empty. We had a very talkative/friendly waiter who likes to snowboard at a local mountain resort we passed and is studying to become a fireman as he works part time in that capacity. It was the first day that Yakima permitted dine-in dining. I ate way too much soup and salad. We charged up 44 miles on the car courtesy of the Downtown Business Association.
Drove back to the motel where I took a nighttime swim as the sun was setting.
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