From my previous post, I have begun the downhill part of Skyline Trail, and stopped at my favorite spot somewhere close to the fork to Golden Gate Trail. For this post, I will cover the remainder of the hike and day.

And so, I continued my downhill hike along Skyline Trail back to the visitor center. Snowy, barren terrain eventually gave way back to lush vegetation and wildflower meadows.

Still some snow below the tree line along the trail.

Fascinating snow cave with a stream coming out from it.

Lots of Paintbrush and Anemones in this meadow.

Another meadow covered in wildflowers. A nice contrast against the barren background.

Bursts of Penstemons? next to this lovely stream.

This part of the hike had lots of lovely streams running along the trail. The sound of the water trickling down the slope was just simply refreshing. As usual, I dipped my hands into the crystal clear waters of the stream just to get a feel. Since it's impossible to capture these with photos, I took some videos which picked up the sound of the streams nicely.

Beautiful mossy stream with lupines and paintbrush.

The crystal clear waters of this stream was too enticing.

While continuing my hike, I saw an opening that provided a nice view of the visitor center below. My word, I was surprised by the parking situation there. I guess they were not joking when they said there is parking problem during peak season. Sure glad I came in early.

After a while, I saw the most intriguing sight of the hike. At a rest stop, was an overly friendly marmot that was borderline harassing this poor lady. I guess the marmot was trying to get food. Now it's never a good sign when wildlife gets too cozy with humans, but this sight was too funny.

Overly friendly marmot.

I couldn't resist capturing this marmot with the breathtaking scenery behind it.

One more shot of the marmot with the crazy wildflower display in the background.

Continuing further, I reached a view that stopped me in my tracks. There it was, the exact spot featured in a picture I saw on Flickr a long while back that got me really interested in Mount Rainier's Skyline Trail. It was exactly like in the picture. A tiny yet prominent jagged hill covered in trees, and in the foreground a meadow along the trail filled with a kaleidoscope of wildflowers. Before the trip, I never did find out where the spot was along the trail, so I was really glad I chanced upon it on this hike.

The view that stopped me in my tracks. One of the most impressive array of colors concentrated in one spot.  Here we have anemones, paintbrushes, asters and bistorts.

A shot from a different angle.

Another close-up of the same view, this time with sickletop louseworts, paintbrush, anemones, asters and bistorts.

Further down the trail, looking back up at Mount Rainier and her lush green slopes.

After hiking for almost another one hour, I finally reached the famed Myrtle Falls. Due to my horrible memory, I cannot recall why I had a lack of photos during that hour period. Was it because the scenery was unimpressive? I do recall it was much more shaded. Or was it because my camera battery was running low? Anyhow, by the time I reached Mrytle Falls, it was already in the shade, not that ideal for photography. So the best time to take shots of Mrytle Falls would be in the morning instead. I took some quick shots of the falls and did not linger long, as I had planned to return to the same spot the next morning. It was actually rather quiet and deserted when I  was there, just the way I like it actually. The view was just as advertised, simply breathtaking just like in the photos and postcards. What a view to end the hike.

A shot of Mrytle Falls mostly in the shadows here. Luckily I was able to boost the portions in the shadow through Lightroom. It turned out to be quite OK in the end.

The actual Mrytle Falls. The viewpoint is a short walk from the bridge.

And with that, it was a short 0.5 mile back to the visitor center. And that was it, the amazing Skyline Trail of Paradise, Mount Rainier National Park. It definitely exceeded my expectations. I was expecting to some impressive wildflower display, but what I got was simply out of this world. Wildflowers, wildflowers everywhere! I was already eagerly looking forward to an encore the next day, hungry for more breathtaking scenery. I went back into the visitor center to get a well deserved hot meal.

A rather late meal, though with a nice view.

The day would end in a rather disappointing note though. I had planned to catch some sunset colors around Mount Rainier. However, due to poor planning, I guess I picked the wrong spot. I had driven down to a lake close to the visitor center, thinking I could get a nice reflection of the sunset colors. When I got there, it was rather windy and the lake was rather choppy. As I still had a few hours to go before sunset, and feeling extremely exhausted, I decided to take a nap in the car.

Choppy waters at the lake, with Mount Rainier mostly shrouded by clouds.

When I woke up around sunset, I did not manage to catch the view I was looking for. The lake was entirely in the shadows, and I was not able to see the orange glow on Mount Rainier that I was looking for. I then drove out back to the visitor center. Along the way, I finally saw the colors I was looking for, but by then, it was almost twilight. I didn't get to see the setting sun though, as I guess the sun was already well blocked by the mountain range. I just managed to catch the last rays of light before the valley was entirely consumed by the shadows.

Consolation prize to end the day.

After that, I made my way down Alexander's Lodge where I would spend the night. As expected in a national park, there were no street lights on the windy road downhill. I had to rely on the reflectors on the road to guide me down in an otherwise pitch black night. I have not driven in pitch black conditions in a very long while, so it sure felt nostalgic to be able to do it again. It sure brought back memories of driving in other state/national parks at night. After about the 40 minutes, I finally arrived at the lodge. The reception was already closed by then, so I picked up my keys from the notice board and headed to my room. I had a nice long hot shower before calling it a day.

Very charming bathroom.

This trip had been a tiring one, and that day was no different. But boy was it one rewarding day. I finally crossed off another to-do item: To experience the wildflower display of Mount Rainier.