Yesterday we went on a hike to Red Top Lookout.   Our goal was to get here:

It was about an hour’s drive from our house, but much of the drive was the climb up a winding dirt road to about 5,000 feet.  Once we got there, the hike was not even a mile long, but it was a steep climb up.

Red Top Lookout is a fire watch tower and is apparently staffed by volunteers in the summer.  They weren’t there yet, so I don’t know what the current status is of that.  When we got to the top, it was locked up.

There were wildflowers in abundance on this hike.

I also thought this orange moss was pretty cool.

This hike goes through a beautiful wooded forest for a little while.

Then it went up steeply along a rather slippery rocky slope.

There is a cute little outhouse located near the lookout.

The top is a little scary.  If you are afraid of heights, you might feel a little nervous.  If you are afraid of heights + a slippery steep rock-riddled slope then you might feel more nervous.  This is me B.F. (before fall).

Immediately after this, Davey and David started heading down while I was taking a few pictures.  Then I started heading down.  Well I slipped and landed on a sharp rock. Fortunately, I didn’t almost fall off the mountain or anything, but I fell hard. Ow.  I was ok (although today I am a little beat up and also have a bruised gluteus maximus).

After that, I went down very gingerly and slowly (probably too gingerly and slowly), but I made it!  The hike up was worth it for this amazing view.

It was a little cloudy.  We had a 360 degree view, and on a really clear day we would have seen Mt. Rainier and I think Mt. Adams.

This was a beautiful, short, fun, steep and slightly terrifying hike!