All loaded up and making sure we can carry everything we need for our relatively short trip.
Zoe showing of the ridiculously wide trail near the Talapus Lake trailhead. Thankfully the trail didn't stay like this for very long.
Wow! Checkout the work woodpeckers have done on this dead tree.
Making our way up to Talapus Lake was mostly under tree cover other than this one switchback.
Talapus Lake, our first very brief snack stop. There are campsites on both sides of this lake, but it's far too close to the trailhead so it's a busy area. …
Continuing uphill to our next destination, Olallie Lake. We ran into way more hikers than expected in this section.
Olallie Lake lunch spot looking up towards West Granite Mountain, which is also called Tusk O'Granite, to the left and Granite Mountain to the right.
We had a little lunchtime friend.
Zoe starting up the bootpath at the north end of Olallie Lake.
Peek-a-boo Mt. Rainier.
Back on the main trail that leads to our campsite at Island Lake as well as Pratt Lake and other destinations.
The toilet on the ridge above Island Lake. It was pretty nice.
The view from the toilet. Yes, it was a bit crazy. Talapus Lake is below and Granite Mountain is to the left.
Zoe setting up camp on a ridge overlooking Island Lake.
Our dining area.
Zoe chilling out and enjoying the amazing view.
It's a bit hard to see, but the entire hillside between our campsite and the lake was covered in blueberries.
Making our way down from out campsite to the lake. Unfortunately the access point wasn't anything like a beach, just a small rock surrounded by bushes.
The view across Island Lake to Bandera Mountain.
