August 2, 2007: Mount Rainier National Park: There is more than one path to Paradise and I have a picture to prove it. Marvin, his wife Evelyn, and I chased spring up the hill from Paradise Lodge on a brilliant summer day. We were lucky to find parking within walking distance of the visitor’s center and we joined with many others who were enjoying the views of the mountain and the wildflowers that adorn the meadows alongside the trails.
We were fortunate to find an uncommon plant and a first for us. There are several species of lousewort growing on the mountain but we found only one example of Bird’s Beak (Pedicularis ornithorhyncha).
We spotted a deer, a doe, a female deer, feeding just off the trail and made the effort to point it out to a group of kids… one of those yelled “hey, Dad, here’s a deer” loud enough to raise the dead. The deer didn’t seem to mind the sudden noise but did bolt the scene a few moments later. Dad, who was further down the trail, didn’t get to see the deer after all.
byLarry
