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Monday, August 26, 2013

Mount Rainier National Park – Indian Bar via Cowlitz Divide Hike


Left: View of a Shrouded Mount Rainier, from Cowlitz Divide; Right: Ohanapecosh River at Indian Bar
View of a Shrouded Mount Rainier, from Cowlitz DivideOhanapecosh River at Indian Bar

After the enjoyable Summerland – Panhandle Gap Hike, we decided to try the Wonderland Trail again, but from a different spot. This time we hiked toward Panhandle Gap starting from Box Canyon. Indian Bar was our turn around point so we didn’t make it to gap, but we hadn’t planned on it. As it was, 15 miles was enough for us today.  This is hike number 5 of this annus mirabilis of hiking.

 

Flora

Some of the plants we saw:

[Family] Genus species
[Asteraceae] Agoseris
[Rosaceae] Spirea splendens
[Ericaceae] Phyllodoce empetriformis
[Ericaceae] Vaccinium
[Fabaceae] Lupinus
[Melanthiaceae] Veratrum viride
[Orobanchaeceae] Pedicularis ornithoiryncha
[Ranunculaceae] Actaea rubra
[Ranunculaceae] Anenome occidentalis
[Scrophulariaceae] Mimulus guttatus

Stats

Length: 15 miles roundtrip (WTA Hike Info), 14.2 miles by our measurement (a Garmin etrex Vista HCx)
Duration: 8:50 am leave trailhead, 12:30 pm arrive Indian Bar campground, 1:00 pm start back, and 3:40 pm arrive back at trailhead.
Elevation: 3,173 feet start, 5,915 feet max altitude, 4,656 feet total ascent


Left: Box Canyon – Start of Hike on Steven Canyon Road; Middle: Start of Trail; Right: Actaea rubra – Baneberry
Box Canyon – Start of Hike on Steven Canyon RoadStart of TrailActaea rubra – Baneberry

Anenome occidentalis Guding the Way Along the Cowlitz Divide
Anenome occidentalisAnenome occidentalisAnenome occidentalis

Yellows and Blues.  Left: Agoseris; Middle: Lupinus; Right: Mimulus
AgoserisLupinusMimulus

Left: Columnar lava - Andesite Columns; Middle: On the Top of the Cowlitz Divide Trail Looking South; Right: Little Tahoma from the Cowlitz Divide
Columnar lava - Andesite ColumnsOn the Top of the Cowlitz Divide Looking SouthLittle Tahoma from the Cowlitz Divide

Pinks. Left: Pedicularis ornithorhyncha – Bird’s-Beak Lousewort; Center: Phyllodoce empetrifromis – Pink Mountain Heather; Right: Spiraea splendens – Rosy Spiraea
Pedicularis ornithorhyncha – Bird’s-Beak LousewortPhyllodoce empetrifromis – Pink Mountain HeatherSpiraea splendens – Rosy Spiraea

Left: Topo Map Showing Hike Route to Indian Bar (Google Maps); Middle and Right: Garmin Stats for the Hike
Topo Map Showing Indian Bar Hike Route (Google Maps)Garmin Stats for the Hike

Left: Gathering Berries – Oval-Leaved Blueberry; Right: The Strange Worn Look of Green Corn Lily (Veratrum viride)
Gathering Berries – Oval-Leaved BlueberryThe Strange Worn Look of Green Corn Lily (Veratrum viride)

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