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| Forest of the Pacific Northwest |
Having a few days off back in Seattle and looking for some down time after a whirlwind month and a half of no days off at my new expedition leader job I decided to go for a solo exploratory mission to the nearby Mt. Rainier. I had seen the snow covered summit from the plane when I first flew into Seattle and it has been calling me ever since. I knew there was all kinds of hiking trails and camping opportunities, plus some pretty cool wildlife to be sighted as well. I also hoped that on a rainy, foggy midweek day in early June the mountain crowds would be virtually nonexistent.
There are a couple of very cute towns on the way to Mt. Rainier National Park with little general stores and churches. I stopped into one general store and saw they still had VHS movies to rent which is about as small town vibe as you can get. I stocked up on some essentials (cookies and beer) and headed off into the park. I figured a plan would present itself once I was inside.
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| NPS Photo of the Lodge at Paradise |
Driving deeper into the park I passed meadows, waterfalls, and towering trees emerging out of the fog. I could feel the road constantly angling upwards as I got closer to my destination, Paradise.
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| Mama Goose |
The story goes when James Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a paradise!" It is well known for its meadows filled with wildflowers and accessibility to hiking trails. A visitor center and lodge are also here so I figured it would be a good place to base myself. I also quickly found out that Paradise, located at 5,400ft, is currently the lower limit of the snow line.
Even though it was closing in on 8pm there was still plenty of light so I hit some of the shorter trails around the Paradise area. I found a small creek and a large waterfall, and noticed that the trails were pretty clear of snow although the hillsides were not. I planned to go for a longer hike in the morning so I headed back to the lodge to grab a bowl of chili, sip my beer, and enjoy a nice read by the fireplace. It was just what I wanted, some quiet time to myself out in touch with nature.
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| Where are my snow shoes? |
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| High up on Mt. Rainier |
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| Elk in the meadow |
The next morning I woke to more fog and rain but I was not to be deterred. I put on my waterproof jacket, grabbed my waterproof camera bag, and hit the skyline trail. This trail goes for about six miles and eventually loops back to the lodge at Paradise. I knew it went higher, almost 7000' in elevation but I was not prepared for the amount of snow I would be crossing. I needed snowshoes for some of the snow banks I was crossing. The trail was visible at some times but only marked with raised red flags in others. Add to the fact that it was about fifty feet visibility in some places due to the rain and fog and my hike turned into more of an adventure. The only other person I came across the entire morning was a ranger coming the other direction putting up more red flags. I thought he might say something as to how unprepared I looked (trail running shoes, blue jeans, no backpack), especially since I had just passed a little shrine for a few missing hikers, but he didn't pause for long. Apparently the hikers went missing this past winter and no trace has turned up.
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| Barn Owl |
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| Simple Life in the Woods |
I enjoyed the solitude and the exotic surroundings but also felt just fine back at the lodge sipping a hot coffee after the hike. I did make it out of the fog as I headed to lower elevations. I did a few more hikes through the old growth forest that it so hard to find these days. Those that remain not only provide an incredible habitat for wildlife but also a look back in time, so of the trees being over a thousand years old. The world was a very different place back then. Some things have changed for the better, or at least the 'easier', but seeing so few of these massive old growth trees remaining makes you wonder 'at what costs'?
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| Agile Lynx |
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| The Beautiful Fog |
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| Black Tailed Deer |
There are a couple of very cute towns on the way to Mt. Rainier National Park with little general stores and churches. I stopped into one general store and saw they still had VHS movies to rent which is about as small town vibe as you can get. I stocked up on some essentials (cookies and beer) and headed off into the park. I figured a plan would present itself once I was inside.
The story goes when James Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a paradise!" It is well known for its meadows filled with wildflowers and accessibility to hiking trails. A visitor center and lodge are also here so I figured it would be a good place to base myself. I also quickly found out that Paradise, located at 5,400ft, is currently the lower limit of the snow line. 
The next morning I woke to more fog and rain but I was not to be deterred. I put on my waterproof jacket, grabbed my waterproof camera bag, and hit the skyline trail. This trail goes for about six miles and eventually loops back to the lodge at Paradise. I knew it went higher, almost 7000' in elevation but I was not prepared for the amount of snow I would be crossing. I needed snowshoes for some of the snow banks I was crossing. The trail was visible at some times but only marked with raised red flags in others. Add to the fact that it was about fifty feet visibility in some places due to the rain and fog and my hike turned into more of an adventure. The only other person I came across the entire morning was a ranger coming the other direction putting up more red flags. I thought he might say something as to how unprepared I looked (trail running shoes, blue jeans, no backpack), especially since I had just passed a little shrine for a few missing hikers, but he didn't pause for long. Apparently the hikers went missing this past winter and no trace has turned up.
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