Green Lake — Sunday, Jun. 5, 2011

Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich

Decided that the day was perfect for a trip out to the Carbon River road, and it was. Left the ranger station at 9:30, it was a little chilly, but warmed up in a hurry, and because it ran right along the Carbon River flow, there was always a nice crisp breeze to fill the lungs. The 3 miles from the ranger station to the Green Lake trailhead are nice, if uninteresting. There wasn't much to see, other than a view or two across the river valley. It would be nice if the road had mileage markers (it may have at some point in the past), but the walk up the mostly level road took one hour flat. Then, at the Green Lake trailhead (well marked, to the right of the trail (south)), you begin to go up. The first mile is to Ranger Falls, up a series of switchbacks. There are a few trees to duck under, but nothing low. Plenty of muddy spots, though. Easy enough to get up; going down was a bit trickier, and I slipped a few times (and almost fell once, which would have led to about a forty foot roll down a switchback -- fun!). Having a walking stick was a real good thing. Once you get to the falls, there's a bit of water on the trail, but the falls were going full-blast with a wonderfully cool mist at the very-close viewpoint. The remaining 8/10 of a mile from the falls to the lake continue upward. Again, more mud (with a few easily navigable patches of snow holding out), but sadly, most of the wildflowers had come and gone, so there was lots of lush green but little else in the way of color. Then, the lake. Flat calm to the point where the mountains above reflected off the surface of the water, it was beautiful, and a nice place to rest. The way down was mostly uneventful, and the trek back from the trailhead to the ranger station got a bit monotonous after a while, but a hike well enjoyed.