I went for a second hike this weekend, this time with Kristopher. We intended to hike to the Tomie Peak lookout, near the Carbon Glacier at Mt. Rainier Ntl Park...but got stopped about halfway in on the access road by some enormous trees that had been blown down (or pushed) onto the road. So we turned around and instead hiked a nearby trail into Green Lake. We hiked straight in for 3 miles to get to the trailhead, the access road here had been washed out a few years back by some really heavy flooding, and never repaired. We then climbed about 1200 feet up in another 2-2.5 miles to get to the sights.

About halfway up, we came across Ranger Falls. I forgot my camera, however, so these are pictures I found elsewhere on the web so you could see where I was :) The don't look that big here, but in person they were enormous. I read online that the drop you see here is about 80 ft, with a total drop of 100 feet (there is a bit more below and to the left).

There was tons and tons of old growth forest, the type where you can't even see the forest floor...even the fallen trees were completely covered in many different types of green growth, mosses, ferns, and other baby trees. I felt like I was in Fern Gully.



And this is Green Lake, where we ate lunch. It was a bit clearer for us, you could see this awesome snow-covered peak up there where this photographer just caught clouds....and there was still a good bit of snow lining the edge of the lake. But my, was it green (and clear)! And cold...all that glacier melt water.

I think that brings my hiking total for the weekend to about 22-23 miles. I'll get in shape yet!