Livin' Part of Life

There are times in this journey when we experience something so beyond the ordinary that I struggle with how to start. Today is one of those days.

Today we were heading into our 30th National Park, Mount Rainier. Because of Karen’s due diligence, she knew that this was another park we needed to get into early to secure parking in the location we wished to visit. So, bright and early, we closed camp, grabbed our iced coffees and breakfast sandwiches, and made our way to the entrance station.

The campground we are in is location less than one mile from the park entrance sign, about as close as we could get without camping in the park. We pulled up to the station and there were actually park employees at the gate. That’s pretty rare when getting to a park before 7:00 a.m. That speaks to the popularity of Rainier, even on a Thursday after Labor Day.

The park road winds it way through a frame of old-growth forests. It also follows a steady ascent, starting at 2,000 feet above sea level. The day was starting out with clear skies, as predicted, but we knew that the wildfires on the Olympic peninsula would likely obscure some part of the mountain. We hoped for the best as we climbed steadily upward.

To be honest, so many of the park entrance roads in forested parks look surprisingly similar. A tar-black road pushing its way through a green canvas. Now and then a river, rock outcropping, or hilltop will show itself, teasing us forward. But the park does an excellent job of hiding itself until just the right moment. The most exciting part is waiting for the park to show its cards.

As we drove continually up, we slowed to make a turn and, wham!! Dead ahead, rising up and behind a clearing in the corridor of trees, the fullness of Mount Rainier burst into view. Nothing to hide its immense size. The summit mound covered in a wispy lenticular cloud, like a hat titled in greeting. 14,410 feet of rock and glacier.

We have been around high peaks often in our journeys. The Rocky Mountains of Colorado have 58 peaks over 14,000 feet and we saw many. For the most part, these peaks were viewed at a distance, and we were viewing them from an elevation much higher than here. But Rainier is not surrounded by rival peaks the same way. And we are much closer to the mountain itself. The effect is staggering.

We found a parking space at the Paradise area, which encompasses a visitor center, hotel, ranger station, and the trailheads for more than 15 hikes. And although there is ample parking, we always worry about finding enough room for Livvy. We drugged Daisy (don’t worry, just calming treats) and headed to the trail signboard to pick a hike.

The best known hike in this area is the Skyline Trail, offering stunning views of Rainier, its glacier fields, and the surrounding lands. At 5 miles and 1,500 feet of elevation gain, we knew it would be a workout. The promise of the views were too great, so we headed up the trail.

And when I say up, I mean up. The first 2 miles climbed almost unrelentingly skyward. The first 0.5 miles were paved, but this gave way to a dirt and rock trail. We were glad it was not too hot, although the constant sun quickly heated us. As we got further from Livvy, we thought it maybe a bit unwise to only have one very small bag of trail mix each. But we had lots of water, so on we went.

The trail cuts through an immense sub-alpine meadow, threaded by streams from glacial glacial melt above. The meadows were lushly green and we wondered just how spectacular it would look in full bloom. Rocks were littered throughout the green as well, likely sitting there since some former eruption. (Yes, Rainier is a volcano.)

To our left as we ascended, the trail followed the upper rim of the Nisqually River valley, a v-shaped gorge sliced down the southern face of Rainier. The river ran fast as it fell rapidly down from its beginnings just above at the tip of a massive glacier. Although shrinking rapidly, the glaciers on the upper slopes of Rainier are still quite large.

When we started on the hike, we figured we’d just go as much as we could and then turn back, even if it meant not making the top at Panorama Point. We wanted to make it, of course, but the going was difficult. To make matters worse, the wildfire smoke, previously hanging lower in the eastern valley, was creeping up higher. It certainly did not help the breathing. We continued up.

Panorama Point lived up to it’s name. Great views of the Rainier summit and what would have been incredible vistas of the surrounding peaks. The smoke haze hung thickly at lower elevations, granting us a hauntingly sparce look at the peak tops. Still wonderful in its own right.

Past Panorama the trail did climb a bit more before leveling out on a ridge. This was definitely our best view of Rainier’s glaciers and summit ridge. We then began our long descent to the parking lot. The trail we took switchbacked through yet another sub-alpine meadow threaded by yet another stream. This one seemed even more beautiful than the first. I suspect that may be because we were now going downhill instead of up, though. Hey, uphill is hard!

Oh, I forgot to mention wildlife. On this hike, we got up close and personal with several Hoary Marmots. I really thought they wanted hugs but Karen thought that was a bad idea. They seem immune to humans, going about their business without a care. We also had out first sighting of a Mountain Goat. It was lounging on a rock during our descent. At one point it stood, giving us all hope it would gracefully dance through the rocks like we know they can. Instead, it lazily did a 360 and laid back down. Lazy little shit. And we caught sight of a Ptarmigan, which looked like a grouse and probably would tase pretty good (like chicken).

Exhausted after our adventure, we left the park and made our way back to camp. After hooking up and turning on the A/C, we promptly took a well-needed nap. We showered, and made the short walk to the only place to eat near us, Wild Berry Restaurant.

Wild Berry is owned by a Nepalese couple, Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa and his wife Fulamu Sherpa. Lhakpa is quite a famous Sherpa, and he has been talked about in several books I read on Mount Everest climbing. He summited Mount Everest 15 times, holds the World Record for fasted climb of Everest, has guided thousands on some of the most dangerous peaks in the world, and tonight he served Karen her club sandwich.

The food is mostly American, but they do have a few Nepalese dishes. Everyone in there working was Nepalese. I opted for a Chicken Tahli, popular in Nepal. Our food was outstanding! And the service was absolutely amazing. We even spoke briefly with Lhakpa, which was pretty cool for me. I’ve never met someone who stood at the highest place on earth.

So tonight we relax and reflect on a glorious day. Mount Rainier has been far more than I expected, in a good way. It is our 30th gem of the National Park System.