We had a bit of a sleep in then ate half of our massive cooked breakfast ( the non deep fried potato half) before heading off on the scenic rim route, dotted with hiking trails and lookouts along the way. We had tossed up doing the two hour interpretative boat trip around the lake but weren’t that keen on the 45 minute “strenuous” hike down ( and obviously back) to the boat departure points so decided on the drive and a chance to see more diverse scenery.
The sky and lake were differing shades of brilliant blue and temperature around 19-20C , glorious hiking weather for amateurs such as ourselves! Dropping into the little Manama Village for a look ( more souvenirs, small grocery store) we decided that the fairly steep Lodge rate was worth it as streams of day trippers piled in. The nearest accommodation outside of the Park is some distance away thereby taking away from the time actually spent in the park and the opportunity to enjoy the early morning solitude (which we did, in bed 🤣) and the glorious golden twilight.
Our first walk was wheelchair rated and wandered through old growth of mountain hemlock and firs then yielded lovely views of some of the pinnacles or ‘fossil fumaroles’ along the creek canyon.
Next stop was the slightly more arduous trail to the Plaikni Falls – gentle falls surrounded by some pretty wildflowers and accompanying butterflies.
As it was past lunchtime by now we headed back toward the actual rim looking for a picnic spot ( and loo) and were amazed to see a haze of blue smoke covering the lake and beyond, almost obscuring the opposite shore. We were later to learn that this was from wildfires many miles south near Sacramento and we felt sorry for the visitors whose only time in the park was this afternoon, especially those on the boat ride (and of course the people affected by the fires themselves!)
The next spot which afforded the requisite restroom facilities was the blustery trail head for Mount Scott (highest point in the park at 2721m) and we enjoyed seeing people set off on the trail 😉 The highlight for us was watching this cheeky yellow bellied marmot.
After lunch we continued the drive around the rim arriving back at the Lodge in time for a much earlier dinner and an interesting conversation in the Great Hall with a couple of very serious hikers. The husband and wife, (in their late 50s or early 60s?) were hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) which in its 2650 mile entirety stretches from Mexico to the Canadian border.
These two had started their trip in Chester, California and covered 500 miles on foot thus far! They initiated conversation with us by asking if they could give us two quarters (25c coins for Aussies) as they “don’t carry money” minimising all weight that they can. (Presumably notes and credit cards are ok 😊)
They were setting off then (about 6pm?) to get a couple of hours hiking in the cool as it is 25 miles to the next available water!
After speaking with them, Russell and I were exhausted and decided to go to bed 🤣🤣
I did read later though that there is an equestrian component to the PCT so maybe that’s a trip for us……
Tomorrow, back to coast.