The Traveler: Jason Lu of Falcon Heights.
Nature's rich carpet catches a traveler's eye
August 29, 2019 at 10:58PM
The scene: Mosses drape over boulders in the temperate forest of Mount Rainier National Park in the Pacific Northwest. The forest covers 58% of the landscape, and visions of the park's namesake 14,411-foot peak can get lost amid towering Douglas fir, Western hemlock and Western red cedar trees. The forest floor holds its own intrigue.
Destination: "Minnesota has many awesome hiking trails, but there is just something mystical about mountains," Lu wrote of his recent visit to the national park in Ashfield, Wash. Mount Rainier is a monster of a mountain, too. It dominates the skyline of western Washington and is the most glaciated mountain in the contiguous U.S. Five rivers get their starts there. The park includes a rare inland temperate rain forest. Get more infomation on a visit at nps.gov/mora.
Why this photo: Lu particularly likes this photo for the way it "shows the beauty and serenity of a lush forest," he wrote in an e-mail.
photo details: Lu used his cellphone to take this photo, using the panoramic option so he could take in the interest of the forest floor and the tree bark.
Share your photos: To submit your travel photo for consideration to Viewfinders, share it on Instagram tagged with #STtravel, or e-mail a jpeg to viewfinders@startribune.com.
about the writer
Lefse-wrapped Swedish wontons, a soothing bowl of rice porridge and a gravy-laden commercial filled our week with comfort and warmth.
