Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Paradise in Bloom, Nisqually Glacier and Christine Falls!
Everybody knows that August is the best time to visit Paradise to see the wildflowers in bloom but somehow I always miss it We usually visit early in the season, as soon as the roads are passable; here’s what it looked like in May with nary a flower in sight.
Here’s what it looked like last week from the same spot – all thawed out and green – with nary a Mountain in sight.
Too bad. But it was still a perfect day for a hike – more like a stroll – on the easy, paved, Nisqually Vista Trail.
The wildflowers were abundant and colorful just as I’d hoped
and we were lucky to see a fat marmot feasting in the meadows.
We stopped at the overlooks and heard the rushing waters of the Nisqually River in the valley far below,
proceeding out from Nisqually Glacier.
And though we had great views of the Glacier, the Mountain remained hidden from view.
Fortunately we’d seen her earlier that day while fishing at Mineral Lake. Remember that? (Here if you missed it.)
I can only imagine how fantastic the wildflowers look with the Mountain as the backdrop – I will definitely return to find out. But it had been a long day and it was time to head back – but not without one more stop – a photo op at Upper Christine Falls,
where I played with shutter speed on my camera.
Why not?
Then it was off to dinner and as we made our way back home Mt. Rainier decided to show her crown after all.
Better late than never.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Wow!! Incredible nature and beautiful photography. Thank you for sharing.
Oh thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😊
What a fantastic collection of beautiful photos! Mount Rainier still remains my favourite peak, thanks for sharing, it definitely brightened up my Monday morning even more 😊
Mt Rainier is my favorite mountain too! Thanks so much for your comment! 😊
A feast of glorious images indeed, Susanne. I think we have all tried for that ‘milky water’ shot at one tine. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks so much Pete! There’s nothing like a day spent at Mt Rainier! And it was fun playing with my camera at the waterfall! 😊
Wow. I am just absolutely in awe of your photographs. Incredible! ♥ That marmot is adorable!
Aw thanks so much! Seeing the marmot was a real treat! 😊
I enjoyed seeing all your beautiful photos!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Terrific shot – what an incredible place to take a walk!
Thanks John! I love Paradise!
Great tour. I miss real mountains. Here the mountains are shorter than even foothills of the Cascades.
Thanks so much! I love being close to the mountains! 🙂
Your photos are always so pretty! I love that you saw a marmot! Were you really close up to it or did you use a zoom lens?
Thank you. 😊 The marmot wasn’t that far off the trail but I did use the zoom on my camera. And cropped the picture too.
Wow, those wildflowers are gorgeous! Oh how I love getting to see marmots. And Rainier is spectacular at Sunset!
I’m sorry the mountains were hiding during your wildflower hike, but that still looks like a fantastic hike. My sister’s family made that same hike about 3 weeks ago. They were rsuper lucky to have clear skies almost the whole day – the single day they’ve ever spent at Rainier.
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad they got to enjoy the mountain! I’m lucky to live so close and get to see it often! 😊