Bandera Mountain

 We did an evening hike up to Bandera Mountain for dinner and sunset yesterday. We started at the Ira Spring Trailhead, off of I-90.
The true summit of Bandera does not have views, so we did the traditional hike up to "Little Bandera Mountain" about 7 miles round trip with 3,000 ft of gain.
The first mile and a half is a nice gentle walk in the forest. Here the trail crosses Mason Creek on a wooden bridge with views across to McClellan Butte.

 There were lots of beargrass in bloom

 As the trail gained elevation, we began have views of Mount Rainier to the south.

 The trail leaves the forest and transverses the side of Bandera Mountain. We were fortunate to have a nice cool breeze as the trail got steeper on a hot day.

 We would see fields after fields of beargrass.

 After the trail splits from the Mason Lake Trail, it ascends steeply upwards

 The trail then reenters a wooded area at a nice gentle slope for a short breather.

 Next, you work your way up a boulder field

 The trail appears between the boulders and patches of heather.

 There are gorgeous boulders and views up here!

 Bright purple penstemon in bloom

 To the west, is Mt Defiance and Mason Lake

 fields of phlox on the upper slopes

















We found a nice flat space near the top of Little Bandera, to soak in the views and enjoy our dinner.
View to the west and north

 view to the south: Besides Mt Rainier, we could see Mt Adams further south

 It was interesting to watch the colors change as the sun began to set.

 We did not want to be on the steep rocky sections in the dark, so we started back down while the sun was beginning to set, stopping to take lots of photos

 Alpenglow on Mt Rainier

 beautiful colors in the sky

 looking back at Rainier

 watching the sky turn purple

 such a fabulous evening!!!

Moon high above Mt Rainier
 We were off the rocks and boulders before we needed to use our headlamps through the forest. Such a lovely evening.

Some of the other wildflowers and flora we saw along the today: