Buck Creek, Snoquera Falls Loop — Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007

Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410

~ I knew that the falls themselves wouldn’t be spectacular at this time of year, but needed to get out for a short scenic hike. (there was even some fall color left) We opted for taking the Buck Creek Trail up to the Snoquera Falls Trail. It was quite cold at the bottom of the trial (right off of Hwy 410) so we didn’t stop for a lot of pictures until the return trip. The lower portion of the trail was filled with all sorts of interesting mushrooms and fungi (which I did photograph on the way back. We got up to the falls just before noon, and even though the air was crisp and cold, the sun warmed rocks were a fabulous place for lunch. The last stretch up to the base of the falls is a scramble and appears to be best done on the left side of the falls. The falls themselves were just trickling, but this trip is worth it for the views of the rock formations and across the valley. As I was photographing the falls, I had huge sloshy bunches of ice balls pummel me from above (likey frozen spray thawing and breaking loose as the sun warmed the rocks). Some of the ice balls were pretty big, (and hurt) so I decided to back away before I ended up with a concussion. The trail is in excellent condition and a good time was had by all. More picture are available here: http://www.wildcelticrose.net/lisasplace/snoquerafalls07.html ~L