Weekend Hike-Grove of Patriarchs-Silver Falls/Mt Rainier

What a wonderful day! We drove to Mount Rainier via Highway 410/123 over Cayuse Pass (whoooh, last week's trip to Mt Baker prepared us for MORE dropoffs)! We parked at the trailhead parking lot for the Grove of the Patriarchs and hiked that loop which includes a suspension bridge and well maintained boardwalk.

The water was clear and turquoise all along the stunning Ohanapecosh River. We then crossed the highway to the Eastside Trail and hiked down to Silver Falls. The volume of water rushing down the river bed was very loud...and white and gorgeous!

After hiking back up the trail from Silver Falls to the parking lot, we got a campsite for a picnic in the rain at Ohanapecosh campground. We did a quick nature walk to see the hot springs and here's Sarah before she plunged her hands (wrist deep) into the warm mud.

We ended our day by tossing all the soaking wet gear into the van and heading home in the dark and listened to the first of "Fellowship of the Ring" (as we just finished "The Hobbit")!