And then topped out on a rocky outcropping. The trail stopped below the bare rock, and signs said to proceed with caution. Thinking that didn't sound too bad, I proceeded. Then fifteen minutes later, scrambling up the rock face with cold wind freezing my fingers, I changed my mind. Unfortunately, at that point I realized that it is much harder to climb down a rocky outcrop than it is to go up it. After a few tense moments and the use of some of the rock-climbing skills Joe had shown me the night before, I got back below treeline. I snapped a quick photo as a hurried down out of the wind:
On the way down I stopped at one of the overlooks. Here are the mountains to the south:
A little more to the east, Mt. Rainier stands up above the normal sized mountains like a snow-covered giant. I never made it to Rainier, but its presence is felt everywhere in the Seattle area:
Then on the way back down I started noticing mushrooms. In this wet climate they grow everywhere! Here's a mushroom medly for you, just a small sampling of what I saw hanging out on the forest floor:
Finally, for those of you who have read Blue Highways, I had an encounter with what I think is a banana slug:
I'd count this day hike as a success!
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