When we arrived at the trailhead around 10:30, the lot was almost full and we would indeed see a lot of other hikers. We checked out the side trail and the viewpoint that you reach just a quarter mile from the trailhead. Uh.....we have a long long ways to climb!
Leaving the viewpoint, we got stuck behind a huge slow-moving extended family. The young and fit were far ahead and the ones dealing with the little children were far behind and everyone else was scattered in-between. Not wanting to get stuck behind/amongst them, we picked up the pace to pass them all. The ones in front, though, were faster than I thought they'd be and once we were ahead of them we had to march steadily for awhile to put some distance between us. Whew, that wore me out fast!
As we climbed up and up and up, we had nice views to the south.
And then we got a view of the final push to the top. Oh dear.
When we finally got to the summit, our efforts were rewarded with nice views.
Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Adams:
Mt. Hood
Astoria
And of course the wildflowers were fabulous. So many different kinds dotting the vivid green meadows and scattered around the rock sections too. And not just at the top either. There were plenty growing along the trail as well.
In addition to the large family we saw, there were quite a few other people on this hike. The skies clear up and sun-starved Oregonians come out of the woodwork! This was a pretty tough hike for me, but well worth it on this gorgeous June day!
