06-25-23
I
i did 10 miles on Saturday on
Squak Mountain as westbound I-90 was down to one lane from Preston to
Issaquah. The backup was very long. It would be the same next week.
Sunday the road would be
open. I decided to head farther east for a hike up to Rainbow Lake. The
NWS forecast was for overcast rising from 10% to 57% and rain
chances up to 22& in the afternoon. My goal was to hike to
Rainbow Lake and spend a few hours there enjoying a sunny but not hot
day. Sitting under clouds did not seem that appealing. Half a dozen
other forecasts had clear skies and no rain. The NWS has been way too
pessimistic way too often the past few years. I headed to Rainbow Lake.
I spent time in the morning debating the forecast and was a little late
leaving home. I arrived at the Pratt Lake Trailhead at 8:02 am. The
main lot was just full. I parked just before it along the road. I was
on the trail at 8:09 am.
It was in the low 50s and sunny at the start. I went with short sleeves and zipped off pants legs. It was cool at first but I warmed up fast. I set a steady pace that I maintained all the way. It was not real fast but after hiking the day before it was fast enough. This is still early but the wildflower display was less than normal. I saw a wild ginger flower after about .33 miles and there was vanilla leaf in bloom in many spots. I saw a few queens cup flowers and false lily of the valley. Bunchberry was more prolific. I never did see any saprophytes. They should be showing up in a few weeks. Later on, I did see nice displays of marsh marigolds. That was a first sighting of the year. With few wildflowers to photograph I made fewer photo stops than normal.
The creeks still had a good flow but I was able to rock hop them all with dry feet. I reached the viewpoint of Olallie Lake and Mt. Rainier at 9:48 am. 1:39 is not a bad time for about 4 miles. It was still all blue sky and little glare around Rainier. There were just a few beargrass in bloom on the trail heading around Pratt Mountain. That display should really pick up in a few weeks. So far I had seen several groups of backpackers coming down and passed several groups heading up. It was far from crowded. The view of Island Lake is rapidly disappearing as trees grow to block it. I did see a gap in the trees where I bent down and had a look at the lake. On the narrow trail around Pratt Mountain I caught up with a big Mountaineers group and passed them all. It is nice when I can still pass a group of hikers half my age.
I soon reached the highest point and began the drop down to Rainbow Meadows. In the fall all the berry bushes turn red and yellow and it is a rainbow of colors. At and just after the turnoff to Island Lake, I had some snow on the trail. That was it for the day. The largest patch still has more than a foot of snow. I saw some marsh marigolds just before crossing the Olallie Lake inlet creek but the best displays were near Rainbow Lake. I arrived at the lake at 10:39 am. I had hiked 5.5 miles in 2:30. That is 27 minutes per mile including photo stops and a break at the viewpoint. I was pleased to find nobody at my beach spot. Rocks jut out into the lake and are shaped like a reclining chair with an ottoman for my feet. I spent a good part of the next two hours laying in the sunshine on the rock chair.
There was still a little snow on the far side of the lake. It received almost no direct sunshine all day. A cool breeze sometimes blew down the lake. It was probably in the high 60s but with all the sunshine it felt much warmer. I doze off a time or two. A couple hikers reached my spot but none stayed. I had total solitude nearly the whole time I was at the lake. That is very unusual. Near the end of my stay a Mountaineer group arrived. They stayed for about 10 minutes, took a group shot, and headed on. This was a CHS group hike. The Conditioning Hiking Series starts hikes in April and goes until about September. They start with easy hikes and progressively add mileage and elevation gain. By the end of the series they do a long trip like the Enchantments one day traverse.
I headed back at 12:52 pm. I spent 2:13 at the lake. I considered a trip down to Blazer Lake but there may have been snow, the meadow would have been very wet, and the lake would be too high to cross to the other side. I was happy jut relaxing in the sunshine at Rainbow Lake. I took a detour not far from Rainbow to a meadow full of blooming marsh marigolds. I was not in a hurry to get back and went slow on the first mile heading back. That also included most of the uphill. I passed one hiker near the highest point and then did not see another person for over an hour. I did hear a couple coming up the trail from Pratt Lake but I beat them to the junction and never saw them. I passed the viewpoint without a break. I did notice that the hazy glare made it impossible to see Mt. Rainier.
In the afternoon, some small puffy clouds did pass by. The overcast was never more than about 10%. The National Weather Service forecast for 57% overcast was way off base. With about 2.5 miles to go I finally saw another person. In the last mile I saw a few more small groups. For a sunny Sunday in late June, the crowds were conspicuously absent. Not that I am complaining. I reached the trailhead at 3:30 pm. Cars were now parked well beyond my car. It was about 72 degrees. It felt warm but not like the 80s that will be coming soon. It was 78 degrees in North Bend.
This was a really nice hike. After 10 miles the day before, doing another 11 miles on a gently graded trail was not hard at all. For the weekend I managed to hike 21 miles with 5300' of gain. This day was 11 miles with 2900' of gain. The berries near Rainbow Lake have formed and I may well be back in August to sample the crop. The weather was almost perfect and the crowds were limited. The flower show was unusually poor but it is starting. I did see some peaking trillium near Rainbow Lake. They have been gone from the lowlands for a month or more. The NWS was way to pessimistic. It was a perfect day for a hike to Rainbow Lake.
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Trips - 2023
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It was in the low 50s and sunny at the start. I went with short sleeves and zipped off pants legs. It was cool at first but I warmed up fast. I set a steady pace that I maintained all the way. It was not real fast but after hiking the day before it was fast enough. This is still early but the wildflower display was less than normal. I saw a wild ginger flower after about .33 miles and there was vanilla leaf in bloom in many spots. I saw a few queens cup flowers and false lily of the valley. Bunchberry was more prolific. I never did see any saprophytes. They should be showing up in a few weeks. Later on, I did see nice displays of marsh marigolds. That was a first sighting of the year. With few wildflowers to photograph I made fewer photo stops than normal.
The creeks still had a good flow but I was able to rock hop them all with dry feet. I reached the viewpoint of Olallie Lake and Mt. Rainier at 9:48 am. 1:39 is not a bad time for about 4 miles. It was still all blue sky and little glare around Rainier. There were just a few beargrass in bloom on the trail heading around Pratt Mountain. That display should really pick up in a few weeks. So far I had seen several groups of backpackers coming down and passed several groups heading up. It was far from crowded. The view of Island Lake is rapidly disappearing as trees grow to block it. I did see a gap in the trees where I bent down and had a look at the lake. On the narrow trail around Pratt Mountain I caught up with a big Mountaineers group and passed them all. It is nice when I can still pass a group of hikers half my age.
I soon reached the highest point and began the drop down to Rainbow Meadows. In the fall all the berry bushes turn red and yellow and it is a rainbow of colors. At and just after the turnoff to Island Lake, I had some snow on the trail. That was it for the day. The largest patch still has more than a foot of snow. I saw some marsh marigolds just before crossing the Olallie Lake inlet creek but the best displays were near Rainbow Lake. I arrived at the lake at 10:39 am. I had hiked 5.5 miles in 2:30. That is 27 minutes per mile including photo stops and a break at the viewpoint. I was pleased to find nobody at my beach spot. Rocks jut out into the lake and are shaped like a reclining chair with an ottoman for my feet. I spent a good part of the next two hours laying in the sunshine on the rock chair.
There was still a little snow on the far side of the lake. It received almost no direct sunshine all day. A cool breeze sometimes blew down the lake. It was probably in the high 60s but with all the sunshine it felt much warmer. I doze off a time or two. A couple hikers reached my spot but none stayed. I had total solitude nearly the whole time I was at the lake. That is very unusual. Near the end of my stay a Mountaineer group arrived. They stayed for about 10 minutes, took a group shot, and headed on. This was a CHS group hike. The Conditioning Hiking Series starts hikes in April and goes until about September. They start with easy hikes and progressively add mileage and elevation gain. By the end of the series they do a long trip like the Enchantments one day traverse.
I headed back at 12:52 pm. I spent 2:13 at the lake. I considered a trip down to Blazer Lake but there may have been snow, the meadow would have been very wet, and the lake would be too high to cross to the other side. I was happy jut relaxing in the sunshine at Rainbow Lake. I took a detour not far from Rainbow to a meadow full of blooming marsh marigolds. I was not in a hurry to get back and went slow on the first mile heading back. That also included most of the uphill. I passed one hiker near the highest point and then did not see another person for over an hour. I did hear a couple coming up the trail from Pratt Lake but I beat them to the junction and never saw them. I passed the viewpoint without a break. I did notice that the hazy glare made it impossible to see Mt. Rainier.
In the afternoon, some small puffy clouds did pass by. The overcast was never more than about 10%. The National Weather Service forecast for 57% overcast was way off base. With about 2.5 miles to go I finally saw another person. In the last mile I saw a few more small groups. For a sunny Sunday in late June, the crowds were conspicuously absent. Not that I am complaining. I reached the trailhead at 3:30 pm. Cars were now parked well beyond my car. It was about 72 degrees. It felt warm but not like the 80s that will be coming soon. It was 78 degrees in North Bend.
This was a really nice hike. After 10 miles the day before, doing another 11 miles on a gently graded trail was not hard at all. For the weekend I managed to hike 21 miles with 5300' of gain. This day was 11 miles with 2900' of gain. The berries near Rainbow Lake have formed and I may well be back in August to sample the crop. The weather was almost perfect and the crowds were limited. The flower show was unusually poor but it is starting. I did see some peaking trillium near Rainbow Lake. They have been gone from the lowlands for a month or more. The NWS was way to pessimistic. It was a perfect day for a hike to Rainbow Lake.
 Tiger Lilies |
 1 Mile Marker |
 Vanilla Leaf |
 Queen's Cup |
 Cascading Creek |
 Bunchberry |
 Multiple Falls |
 Old Boardwalk |
 First Marsh Marigold |
 Level Trail |
 Olallie Lake & Mt. Rainier |
 Nice Forest |
 Island Lake |
 Sunlit Leaves |
 Mt. Defiance |
 Another Marsh Marigold |
 Rainbow Lake & Bandera |
 Smooth Lake Surface |
 Rest & Relaxation |
 Maximum Cloud Cover |
 Lounging Rocks |
 Baby Berries |
 Yet Another MM |
 Rocky Trail |
 Trillium |
 Beargrass |
 Mountain View Is Gone |
 Last Marsh Marigold |
 Rock Wall |
 Signboard |
Trips - 2023
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