06-22-24
Most
years I hike to Rainbow lake a
time or two. Wildflowers late spring, sitting by the lake on a summer
day, blueberries, and fall colors. This year I thought the snow would
be gone and there would be some flowers. To get a spot in the Pratt
Lake parking lot and to beat the crowds I arrived at 7:35 am. By 7:42
am I was on the trail. It was mostly sunny but much cooler than the
preceding days. I had clouds in the lowlands but they cleared in the
mountains. I started seeing some wildflowers almost immediately.
Bunchberries and Queen's cups were most prevalent. The first thing I
did notice was the humidity. I started with long sleeves and pant legs
on. Half a mile later I put on a short sleeve shirt and zipped off my
pants legs. That was a lot more comfortable. I still had sweat all over
my face and it was not evaporating. I slowed down a little and that
helped too. At the big creek crossing the water was flowing fast but I
rocked hopped across with dry feet. I went up the two sets of
switchbacks and then began the long traverse. Heading up the valley of
Talapus and Olallie Lakes I left I-90 and its noise. I had hoped to see
a few early saprophytes along the trail. It is a good saprophyte trail
in season. I did not see a single one. I did see some starflowers and
quite a few wild gingers. Many of them were in bloom. I did see some
fresh
mushrooms. Vanilla leaf and yellow violets were also blooming.
As I headed up to the crossing of the Olallie Lake inlet stream. I noticed some blooming marsh marigolds. I have been on the lookout for them for weeks. I finally found some. Just before the creek crossing I saw a big patch of snow just off the trail. I crossed the creek and headed continued. I left the forest at the old 4 mile marker with the view of Mt. Rainier and Olallie Lake. The lake view is being blocked by trees but it is still a good viewpoint. It was time for some water. A couple hikers were there when I arrived. Rainier was clear with a bit of a cloud cap forming. The weather was definitely changing. I continued on and started seeing some beargrass. A few were partly flowering but most were not. At the Pratt Lake junction I continued straight ahead on the no longer signed Defiance Trail. I was on the other end of this trail a few weeks ago on my way to Thompson Lake. The trail contours around Olallie Lake below and Pratt Mountain above. There was more beargrass and again only a few were starting to bloom.
The Defiance Trail contours around Pratt and then has a series of short switchbacks to gain elevation. There are Indian paintbrush and lupine in bloom here in another month. I mostly just saw some trillium. Some was white and some was already turning pink to purple. Along the way I noticed a small window down to Talapus Lake. I used to be able to see it two decades ago. I have not seen it from here in years. I'm not sure if I missed this spot or a tree has fallen over to reopen the view. Just after the high point I found another narrow window out to see Island Lake. I miss that view as often as I find it. The trail quickly drops to a boulder field. That is the start of my route up Pratt Mountain. That was not on the agenda this day. To my surprise, I did run into snow here. The snow was from a few inches to a foot or more deep. Crossing below the boulder field I followed a few footprints up the snow as it was too icy and steep to stay on the trail route. I reached the trail and the snow ended. Soon It picked up again. It was dry and consolidated snow off and on to Rainbow Lake.
The snow was fine when it was deep but in places over the rocks I post holed up to my knees. Coming back I fell down to my crotch in one spot. Solid snow would have been easier. I reached the viewpoint of Mt. Defiance where the snow was deeper. I had a great look at Defiance. After that the trail drops down a dirt and rock trench of a trail. With rotten snow I had to be careful not to post hole too deeply. Again, I had some bare dirt trail as well. It was all snow at the turnoff to Island Lake. I was now not too far form Rainbow Lake. The snow slowed me down as I neared the lake. I reached Rainbow Lake at 10:17 am. 2:35 is not a terrible time under the circumstances to hike 5.5 miles in. The shore was muddy. The lake level was high. The bugs were suddenly very noticeable. I seldom see any bugs at Rainbow. That is not the case at Mason or Island, or Blazer lakes. This day there were bugs. It was time for a brunch break. I sat at the lake for 50 minutes. A few groups stopped by but none stayed. This was almost certainly the shortest stay I have ever had at Rainbow Lake. With a windshirt and hood on it was tolerable but not ideal.
Clouds had been coming in and now the sky was about half white. When a group did arrive at my spot it was time to go. I headed out at about 11:07 am. Slogging up through the snow I decided to tray something different. I have been to the lake in early spring when the whole basin is under snow. In that case I have just walked down the snow covered boulder field next to the trail. I figured it might be better than post holing on the trail. The boulder field meets the trail at the Mt. Defiance viewpoint. I crossed a bit of snow on the boulders then had solid rock to ascend. when that gave way to more thin snow I bailed out and went back to the trail. Where I left the boulders, I found a big patch of small brand new blooming trillium. It was one of the best trillium displays I have seen this year. Unfortunately, the sunshine blew out some highlights in my photos. The snowy sections were less bad going uphill. I reached that first boulder field and left snow for good. I went up to the high point and then began the descent and traverse back to the Pratt Lake Trail.
I found some neat photo opportunities on this section and had a lot of stops. My phone camera has a super wide angle camera, a standard wide angle, a 3x, and a 5x. 10x digital is also very usable. I decided to take some macro shots to continue trying to figure out which camera works best for this. One tiny white flowers I often see was here. It is much smaller than my smallest fingernail. I had fun and found some settings that worked very well. I also saw some very small mushrooms and a tiny yellow flower that I did not recognize. A couple runners zipped on by me going and returning. It looked like they turned around when they reached the rotten snow. Farther along I started to see the beargrass again. I had good success taking close up shots showing all the many individual flowers that make up a beargrass bloom. I took 1:07 to hike the first 1.2 miles back from the lake. It as slow but very enjoyable. Along the way I felt a few spits of rain. I hoped that would be it. Fortunately, it was.
I stopped again at the Mt. Rainier and Olallie Lake viewpoint. Now Rainier had a much bigger cloud cap and the sky was mostly white. The spot forecast was for clearing but it was exactly the opposite. I saw hikers coming up off and on the rest of the way back. It was probably less than on most summer weekends. With half a mile to go I saw the first columbine of the day. The trail made a sharp turn and I saw a bunch of about 20 blooming columbine. How did I not see any of them on the way up? Once again I did not see a single tiger lily on a trail which has them. I saw zero in the spring and now none on my first summer hike. It has been a good wildflower spring but I still can't find even one blooming tiger lily.
I arrived back at the trailhead at 2:16 pm. The lot was about full as expected. The last half mile I really felt the humidity again. Most of the hike I did not notice it but the start and finish were really humid. I hope humid hikes are few and far between this summer. This was a very interesting hike. I did see wildflowers. I finally saw some marsh marigolds. I did not expect so much snow by the lake this late in the year. Most things have been melting out early but not Rainbow Lake. 11 mile with 2900' of gain is a good workout. The trail is in excellent shape. It was not crowded on the trail and especially at the lake. I suspect the snow had something to do with that. The snow was not deep but the post holing gets old fast. I managed to get across all the creeks with dry feet but did not bring gaiters and did get snow in my boots when post holing. I had a very short (for me) stay at the lake but had a lot of fun with macro photos on the way back. All that and I was back at my car just after 2:00 pm. It was a very nice day to be out on the trail.
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Trips - 2024
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As I headed up to the crossing of the Olallie Lake inlet stream. I noticed some blooming marsh marigolds. I have been on the lookout for them for weeks. I finally found some. Just before the creek crossing I saw a big patch of snow just off the trail. I crossed the creek and headed continued. I left the forest at the old 4 mile marker with the view of Mt. Rainier and Olallie Lake. The lake view is being blocked by trees but it is still a good viewpoint. It was time for some water. A couple hikers were there when I arrived. Rainier was clear with a bit of a cloud cap forming. The weather was definitely changing. I continued on and started seeing some beargrass. A few were partly flowering but most were not. At the Pratt Lake junction I continued straight ahead on the no longer signed Defiance Trail. I was on the other end of this trail a few weeks ago on my way to Thompson Lake. The trail contours around Olallie Lake below and Pratt Mountain above. There was more beargrass and again only a few were starting to bloom.
The Defiance Trail contours around Pratt and then has a series of short switchbacks to gain elevation. There are Indian paintbrush and lupine in bloom here in another month. I mostly just saw some trillium. Some was white and some was already turning pink to purple. Along the way I noticed a small window down to Talapus Lake. I used to be able to see it two decades ago. I have not seen it from here in years. I'm not sure if I missed this spot or a tree has fallen over to reopen the view. Just after the high point I found another narrow window out to see Island Lake. I miss that view as often as I find it. The trail quickly drops to a boulder field. That is the start of my route up Pratt Mountain. That was not on the agenda this day. To my surprise, I did run into snow here. The snow was from a few inches to a foot or more deep. Crossing below the boulder field I followed a few footprints up the snow as it was too icy and steep to stay on the trail route. I reached the trail and the snow ended. Soon It picked up again. It was dry and consolidated snow off and on to Rainbow Lake.
The snow was fine when it was deep but in places over the rocks I post holed up to my knees. Coming back I fell down to my crotch in one spot. Solid snow would have been easier. I reached the viewpoint of Mt. Defiance where the snow was deeper. I had a great look at Defiance. After that the trail drops down a dirt and rock trench of a trail. With rotten snow I had to be careful not to post hole too deeply. Again, I had some bare dirt trail as well. It was all snow at the turnoff to Island Lake. I was now not too far form Rainbow Lake. The snow slowed me down as I neared the lake. I reached Rainbow Lake at 10:17 am. 2:35 is not a terrible time under the circumstances to hike 5.5 miles in. The shore was muddy. The lake level was high. The bugs were suddenly very noticeable. I seldom see any bugs at Rainbow. That is not the case at Mason or Island, or Blazer lakes. This day there were bugs. It was time for a brunch break. I sat at the lake for 50 minutes. A few groups stopped by but none stayed. This was almost certainly the shortest stay I have ever had at Rainbow Lake. With a windshirt and hood on it was tolerable but not ideal.
Clouds had been coming in and now the sky was about half white. When a group did arrive at my spot it was time to go. I headed out at about 11:07 am. Slogging up through the snow I decided to tray something different. I have been to the lake in early spring when the whole basin is under snow. In that case I have just walked down the snow covered boulder field next to the trail. I figured it might be better than post holing on the trail. The boulder field meets the trail at the Mt. Defiance viewpoint. I crossed a bit of snow on the boulders then had solid rock to ascend. when that gave way to more thin snow I bailed out and went back to the trail. Where I left the boulders, I found a big patch of small brand new blooming trillium. It was one of the best trillium displays I have seen this year. Unfortunately, the sunshine blew out some highlights in my photos. The snowy sections were less bad going uphill. I reached that first boulder field and left snow for good. I went up to the high point and then began the descent and traverse back to the Pratt Lake Trail.
I found some neat photo opportunities on this section and had a lot of stops. My phone camera has a super wide angle camera, a standard wide angle, a 3x, and a 5x. 10x digital is also very usable. I decided to take some macro shots to continue trying to figure out which camera works best for this. One tiny white flowers I often see was here. It is much smaller than my smallest fingernail. I had fun and found some settings that worked very well. I also saw some very small mushrooms and a tiny yellow flower that I did not recognize. A couple runners zipped on by me going and returning. It looked like they turned around when they reached the rotten snow. Farther along I started to see the beargrass again. I had good success taking close up shots showing all the many individual flowers that make up a beargrass bloom. I took 1:07 to hike the first 1.2 miles back from the lake. It as slow but very enjoyable. Along the way I felt a few spits of rain. I hoped that would be it. Fortunately, it was.
I stopped again at the Mt. Rainier and Olallie Lake viewpoint. Now Rainier had a much bigger cloud cap and the sky was mostly white. The spot forecast was for clearing but it was exactly the opposite. I saw hikers coming up off and on the rest of the way back. It was probably less than on most summer weekends. With half a mile to go I saw the first columbine of the day. The trail made a sharp turn and I saw a bunch of about 20 blooming columbine. How did I not see any of them on the way up? Once again I did not see a single tiger lily on a trail which has them. I saw zero in the spring and now none on my first summer hike. It has been a good wildflower spring but I still can't find even one blooming tiger lily.
I arrived back at the trailhead at 2:16 pm. The lot was about full as expected. The last half mile I really felt the humidity again. Most of the hike I did not notice it but the start and finish were really humid. I hope humid hikes are few and far between this summer. This was a very interesting hike. I did see wildflowers. I finally saw some marsh marigolds. I did not expect so much snow by the lake this late in the year. Most things have been melting out early but not Rainbow Lake. 11 mile with 2900' of gain is a good workout. The trail is in excellent shape. It was not crowded on the trail and especially at the lake. I suspect the snow had something to do with that. The snow was not deep but the post holing gets old fast. I managed to get across all the creeks with dry feet but did not bring gaiters and did get snow in my boots when post holing. I had a very short (for me) stay at the lake but had a lot of fun with macro photos on the way back. All that and I was back at my car just after 2:00 pm. It was a very nice day to be out on the trail.
 Start Of Trail |
 A Bunchberry Flower |
 Queen's Cup |
 Wilderness Sign |
 Wild Ginger |
 Starflower |
 Creek Crossing |
 Bunch Of Bunchberries |
 Waterfall |
 Rotting Boardwalk |
 Fresh Trillium |
 Sun On Mt. Rainier |
 Rainier & Olallie Lake |
 First Beargrass |
 Grassy Forest |
 Talapus Lake |
 Pink Trillium |
 Island Lake |
 Onto Snow |
 More Snow |
 View Of Mt. Defiance |
 Island Lake Junction |
 Marsh Marigolds |
 Nearing The Lake |
 Look At Rainbow Lake |
 Down The Lake |
 Up The Lake |
 Shallow Side Of Lake |
 Berry Crop |
 Heading Back |
 Snowy Boulder Field |
 Bunch Of Trillium |
 Snow Slogging |
 Tiny White Flower |
 Yellow Violet |
 Colorful Phlox |
 Fading Trillium |
 New Mushroom |
 Small Mushroom |
 Another Beargrass |
 Another In The Series |
 Before Flowering |
 Opening Up |
 Clouds Over Mt. Rainier |
 Broken Boardwalk |
 Unknown Flower |
 Lupine |
 Fresh Mushrooms |
 Solomon's Seal |
 Bunchberry Close Up |
 Waterfall Again |
 Queen's Cup Close Up |
 Open Forest |
 Columbine |
 Foam Flower |
 Perfect Starflower |
Trips - 2024
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