On the Slopes of "The Mountain"

There are many trails to choose from that ascend the southern slopes of Mt Rainier. A favorite destination has always been Alta Vista, where you are above the tree line, with views up to the mountain top, and out across to the Tatoosh Range to the south. This is also the start for the serious mountain climbers on the way to Camp Sherman and eventually the summit.

Since I now have physical issues - arthritic hip and knee, bulging disc, balance and stability concerns - I was not sure if I could go where I used to be able to. Of more concern, my aortic valve stenosis causes me to tire easily due to less oxygenated blood getting to my muscles. 

But I wanted to go up the mountain! We checked with a Ranger about a less steep route, and set off through wonderful  scenes of Alpine Fir and meadow flowers. 

On one of my many rest stops this little guy came right up to my toe. 

Higher up, we discovered some Avalanche lilies still in bloom in the shade of Alpine Firs. 

Well, Map Guy Tom made some miscalculations and we ended up on the wrong way of a trail that caused us to lose half of our elevation gain. Daunted but still determined, we continued up, until we reached our sort of destination, where I declared I could not go further, because I still had to get back down.

By now the mountain was obscured by afternoon clouds anyway, and the descending view along the meadows was worthy of more effort. 

Looking back. 

By now I was hurting and my knee was very unhappy, but I was still smiling at being here in this wonderful place. 

There, down below us, was Paradise Inn, where I had a date with some ice cream. 

Soft serve chocolate/vanilla swirl drizzled with caramel and chocolate. Oh yes, I had earned it, and the chance to rest too. 

There were more adventures to come.