[Hesman]

I arrived at Mowich Lake a bit after 9:00 in the morning to claim a campsite. With the intention to hike to Spray Park and do my annual Tolmie Peak full moon rise over Rainier and sun set over the Puget Sound trip, I knew I would be too tired to drive home in the middle of the night. After claiming a campsite with my tent, in a corner of the campground, I set off to Spray Falls and Spray Park. I made good time on the trail through the trees to Spray Falls and this was where I saw the first group of hikers of the day leaving Spray Falls. Where the trail ends at the creek below Spray Falls, I left my pack so I could climb up along the creek aways so I could get a good picture of the falls. With it being the middle of the week, I had Spray Falls all to myself, unlike the last time I visited the falls. It was hopping with people on that trip. After completing my mission of getting some excellent pictures of Spray Falls, I returned to my pack and continued up the switchbacking trail towards Spray Park. Until I had reached the lower extremities of Spray Park, there had been very few bugs. I had begun to wonder if there would be any bugs, since previous trip reports mentioned a lot of bugs. But, once I began hiking into Spray Park I was soon attacked by horse flies and vampirish mosquitoes. I hoped the mosquitoes would not be this bad later in the day at Tolmie Peak. (Last year at Tolmie Peak I was almost sucked dry of blood by the mosquitoes. ) As I hiked farther up the trail I noticed a breeze was beginning to pick up, so I hoped it would be present at Tolmie Peak. I hiked past the spot where I turned around the last time I visited Spray Park with the intention to make to the top of the ridge that the trail goes over. I wanted to find a good spot to eat lunch. I passed several hikers before reaching the crest of the ridge and about half a mile below where the trail begins its descent towards the Carbon River. One of the people I passed told me of a good spot to eat lunch. I'm not sure if I found the spot the hiker had told me about, but I found a good rock to sit on with a great view of Mist Park and Rainier. Rainier had a hat of clouds. The mosquitoes were so bad that I didn't even finish eating lunch. I must have had at least 100 mosquitoes hovering around me. I had a jacket draped over my legs and a fleece jacket draped over my head and I was still getting sucked dry of blood. I quickly took a couple of pictures before hurriedly packing up and heading back towards Mowich Lake; where I finished eating lunch without any bugs. So, does anyone out there know when the best time to visit Spray Park and miss all the bugs? The picture show:

Stepping Stones

Spray Falls

Spray Falls Detail

The flowers:

Lyall's Saxifrage

False Dugbane

Scouler's Corydalis

Bird's Beak Lousewort

Mt. Rainier Lousewort

Jeffery's Shooting Star

Mountain Larkspur

Lewis's Monkeyflower

Bear Grass Flower

Avalanche Lily

[aywolfpac]

Excellent variety of flowers. The avalanche lily shot is my fav.

[Slow Hiker]

Wow, quite a few of the not so common flowers. Thanks for identifying them. I did not know what the Lousewort was.... And that there were even two varieties of them.

[Hikingqueen]

I like in the fall too, late september no bugs and fall colors..or even Oct light dusting of snow.

[Jim Dockery]

Nice flower shots and thanks for the identity.

[bobbi]

okay.......what kind of camera do you use, H? great photos of the wildflowers

[stacymarie]

with the flowers come the bugs, unfortunately. next time bring a good bug spray I'm still scratching at my horsefly bites from last weekend!

[loper]

Great Pictures!

[rickandpat]

I was there a week earlier than you. No bugs - but much fewer flowers too. I was actually a little disappointed because I was hoping for quite a wildflower display. I got that at Paradise 3 days later - and now that I think of it, no bugs.