During my travels, I’ve been fortunate to see and experience much that is worth sharing.
My hope is that these images touch your hearts, much as the USA’s natural beauty has touched mine.
May the adventurous among you benefit from the travel information I share on these pages!
Having explored the northern ridge overlooking the Paradise visitor’s center the previous couple of days, I decided to give Mt. Rainier’s higher trails a try on the 18th.
A young black-tailed mule deer buck grazes on the lower slopes of Mount Rainier in Washington.
Arising bright and early, I made my way to the Paradise parking lot and reached the summit of the Alta Vista Trail by 8 am. Alta Vista is certainly not the highest trail in the neighborhood, but it does earn its name. Its proximity to the visitor’s center provides expansive views north across Paradise, and east to the jagged peaks of the Tatoosh Range.
From Alta Vista, I could also see my next destination, the Skyline Trail, to the west. It was then that I finally noticed that I wasn’t alone: A pair of black-tailed mule deer had arrived at Alta Vista shortly before I did. They were browsing for breakfast a short way off the trail, and paid little attention to me.