We walked with giants today or at least under them at the Mount Rainier National Park. The 1.2 mile Grove of the Patriarchs’ trail leads visitors through one of the least arduous walks within the park. Giant trees, many 250 feet tall and some considered to be 1000 years old, tower above hikers. The tallest include Douglas Firs (named after Scottish botanist and plant hunter David Douglas); the Western Hemlock conifer; Red Elder with its attractive ash grey bark; and Cedars. Adding to the attractiveness of this trail is the crystal clear mountain waters of the Ohanapecosh river. Again we will let the photos do the talking.
Incredibly tall trees, and …
Mount Rainier National Park is huge, comprising almost 400 square miles, 97% officially classed as wilderness. Visitors can drive through the park (a $30 car charge lasts a week), call off at various visitors’ centres, picnic, stop off for photo opportunities at designated areas and trek along the many trails designed for all levels of fitness, including mountain climbing. The glacier-covered Mount is actually a volcano and when covered in cloud or not, offers many opportunities for photographers.
Tomorrow we head 150 miles to Portland. All I know about it comes from Louis Theroux’s TV programme last week where he focused on polyamory. I shall let you look that up, but basically the consensual sharing of partners. It seems Portland is the capital of this way of life, and also is said to have the largest number of strip clubs per capita in the country.