Yesterday nyanko and I went for another hike - one that was slightly more normal this time. We headed down to the eastern side of Mt. Rainier to hike to Summerland, along the Wonderland trail. The trail rose gradually through the forest, then switchbacked up a bit to reach the meadow at Summerland. The wildflowers were definitely amazing and the views of the mountain were glorious. While hiking the trail beyond Summerland, we looked back and saw a momma bear and two cubs crossing the trail - glad we were far away! Later we also saw a marmot (not a monkey), that wouldn't whistle despite me getting coming within 10 feet of it before it scurried away. The hike back down was uneventful (no ball bearings this time!).
Since we were in the area, and nyanko hadn't been to Sunrise before, we continued up the road to take in the views from up there. The meadows were full of beautiful purple lupine. The garden outside the visitor center helped us identify most of the varieties of wildflower we had seen on our hike - very helpful! On the drive home, I glanced back and saw the nearly-full moon rising over the mountain - a great ending to the day.
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