Cars packed the trail head parking lot as I pulled in about 1:00 Sunday afternoon, under partly cloudy skies and a chilly 58F temperature. I was soon thankful for both however, as I generated enough heat to keep two people warm. My new pack on it's first hike worked out just great, though in my estimation, it was the heaviest pack I have ever carried. The Big Bad Wolf had nothing on me when it came to huffing and puffing up this short trail! I made numerous stops for pictures, including this giant fir tree and beautiful Ranger Falls. A nice rest at the falls gave me the energy for the last eight tenths of a mile up to the lake. Trilliums near the falls glow magically.



Success at last! That was the longest 1.8 miles I've walked in quite some time, definitely no record setting here. I saw many people on their way down, and numerous people at the lake, as well. You can see several spread around the shore, some fishing. It's clear to see the lake is aptly named. I was able to spot several small schools of mid sized fish, and even managed to get one in a photo before the wind picked up. I didn't see any of the fisherman making catches, though. As you can see, Obi Wan Kenobe or one of his associates visited this spot previously. I was trying to determine where Tolmie peak is from here, and suspect it's the snow covered one, with Ipsut pass on the far left, but I'm not certain.



A small log bridge crosses the picturesque, meandering, outlet of the lake on it's way down the hill to Ranger Falls. On the way back, I managed to find another hiker at the falls to snap my picture. The mist coming off the falls and the angle of the sun created these small rainbow spots. I was practically running down the trail, but still managed to get shots of some forest overpasses on the trail, and another towering fir tree.

Some people consider this hike rather boring, what with it being almost entirely in the trees, and not that remarkable of a lake, either. However, it does happen to be one of the very first trails at Mount Rainier with any significant elevation gain, open this year. And, I find the trailside vegatation lush and beautiful. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates the forest as much as a panoramic mountaintop view, and for people who want a hike that affords them some protection from the summer sun.