My Half Day Hike at Tolmie Peak Lookout

Tolmie Peak Lookout

A few weeks ago I posted on my FB page that I wanted to go hiking and I was serious, typically when I want to do something I do it. I had so much going on like the 5k Foam Fest; I knew it would be a couple of weeks before I could go.

I decided to look online at a few hiking spots; I knew I didn’t want anything less than 6 miles; I came across the 7.5 mile (roundtrip) hike at Tolmie Peak Lookout - Eunice Lake at Mt Rainier National Park Wonderland trail. I did some research on the trail and checked it out on a few sites, you find out so much more when you read other hiker’s stories instead of the little blurb each website provides. One of the tidbits of information I came across stated there were biter bugs, so I knew bug repellent would be a must.

After the research was done I wanted to make sure I got a list of what we needed to bring on this hike with us. This would be my 1st half day hike as an adult and I was totally clueless. I found an awesome list via REI that provided the 10 essentials as well as the extras. After checking the weather I decided we would leave after 10 am so it was about 11:30 am by the time we got on the road.

I was a bit surprised that the directions had us go through Bonney Lake to get there; I am so used to going to Mt Rainier via Hwy 16, but for this trip you head out on Hwy 410 then head to Hwy 165. We drove through this town called Carbonado; it reminded me of a scene out of old western movie, some of the original buildings were still standing. We crossed over this one car only bridge and headed up, eventually the paved road ended and the road was completely made of rock, it remained that way the remainder of the drive, we stopped and paid for our park permit and off we were for about another 10 miles or so. The drive was about an hour and a half in total.

When we arrived we sprayed on our bug repellant and got our gear together, put on our backpacks and were off. The trail was fairly clear to follow, there was one point where we were a bit confused but we figured it out. There were some high points where we had to step up quite a bit, that were quite tiring but they were manageable. Once we were out of the woods, the fields of wild flowers were just awesome; they were so green and just beautiful. We made a few stops along the way and took in the scenery eventually we arrived at the tower. It began to rain and we put on our ponchos and ate our sandwiches while enjoying the view, it was a little misty and foggy but soon the sky cleared up and we could see the lake clearly, it was so beautiful.

Eunice Lake

On the way back down the trail was a little muddy from the rainfall so we had to watch our step, the mosquitos were out in full force and ready to attack. It took us about an hour and a half to get back to the car where we changed into dry clothes and headed home, but not before stopping at a locally grown vegetable stand.

We had such an awesome time and I don’t know how I let life pass by for so long without returning back to enjoy some of my childhood activities, I’ve found myself taking up those activities a lot lately and I have felt the joy I remember as a child.

If you would like to check out Tolmie Peak yourself checkout more info here.

And...It Is What It Is!!