Today we headed out for a low elevation hike in the Mount Rainier National Park, along the Ohanapecosh River. We parked at the Ohanapecosh Campground which also has a day use picnic area and is the site of the trail head. After a brief picnic lunch we saddled up and headed out on the trail. The weather was cool but sunny, and it had rained and thunder stormed the night before. The first stop along the trail was only about 0.1 mile down, and was a hot spring. The water level in the hot spring was pretty low, probably due to the time of the season, so it was mostly mud. Our trek continued through dense woods along the Ohanapecosh River, with very good size up and down elevation gains. This was certainly an athletic hike. We came upon a bridge that crossed the Laughingwater Creek. This was a good resting point and the creek was a beautiful sight. We carried on and made it to the Silver Falls. Wow, what a beautiful waterfall, tucked away deep in the woods. It was a 1.2 mile hike to the falls, but well worth it. When Claire got to the falls, she literally just sat down in the dirt and just stared at the falls, and did not want to be interrupted, a very zen moment for us all. This trail is a loop trail, so we were able to march on past the falls, through the forest and circle around for a total hike of about 2.5 miles, a great accomplishment for Claire and a fun day for all.
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| At the start of the Silver Falls Trail. |
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| Ohanapecosh River from the trail. |
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| Claire and Jessica, looking fabulous on the trail. |
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| Levi and Luke on the trail. |
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| On the bridge across Laughingwater Creek. |
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| Bridge across Laughingwater Creek. |
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| Claire in front of a 600+ year old tree section. |
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| Silver Falls. |
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| Silver Falls. |
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| Ohanapecosh River. |
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