June 27, 2007
June 27, 2007
We have a free day before our flight out of the Seattle-Tacoma airport, so we decide to visit Mt. Rainier National Park. On the few days when the skies are cloud-free around here, you can’t miss Rainier. It towers over the metropolitan area. Unlike the Rockies that consist of a continuous line of peaks, the Cascades Mountains seem to be fewer in number and more isolated. I am sure this is because of their volcanic origin. We drive around the north side of the park and enter the northeast gate. We proceed up the mountain to the Sunrise Visitor Center for great views of the mountain. Rainier is pretty much a drive-up mountain. It is the fifth oldest national park established in 1899.
We take a look at the exhibits which are mainly about Rainier’s past volcanic activity and the cities most at risk when she blows again.
At 2pm we take the Ranger walk. It is led by an elementary school teacher from Philadelphia who works here during his summer break. On the walk he tells us about his experience climbing Rainier a couple years ago. Using a telescope we spot a line of climbers roped together making the climb. Since Rainier has more snow on its peak than all the rest of the Cascades combined, the trek is over treacherous glaciers where you have to worry about sliding down the mountain or falling thru a crevasse.
We have a free day before our flight out of the Seattle-Tacoma airport, so we decide to visit Mt. Rainier National Park. On the few days when the skies are cloud-free around here, you can’t miss Rainier. It towers over the metropolitan area. Unlike the Rockies that consist of a continuous line of peaks, the Cascades Mountains seem to be fewer in number and more isolated. I am sure this is because of their volcanic origin. We drive around the north side of the park and enter the northeast gate. We proceed up the mountain to the Sunrise Visitor Center for great views of the mountain. Rainier is pretty much a drive-up mountain. It is the fifth oldest national park established in 1899.
We take a look at the exhibits which are mainly about Rainier’s past volcanic activity and the cities most at risk when she blows again.
At 2pm we take the Ranger walk. It is led by an elementary school teacher from Philadelphia who works here during his summer break. On the walk he tells us about his experience climbing Rainier a couple years ago. Using a telescope we spot a line of climbers roped together making the climb. Since Rainier has more snow on its peak than all the rest of the Cascades combined, the trek is over treacherous glaciers where you have to worry about sliding down the mountain or falling thru a crevasse.
After the ranger walk we hike around a little bit. There are still patches of snow on the trails making hiking unpleasant in tennis shoes. Plus we are too early for the fields of mountain wildflowers. After a short while we abandon the mountain, drive back down and stay in an RV park in Puyallup, WA. When we get there we find the park had some unwanted excitement this morning. In most of the metropolitan RV parks there are quite a few “year-round” campers. I think mostly they are construction workers following their work around the country. A propane deliveryman forgot to shut off the electricity and sparked a fire completely gutting one of the “year-rounder’s” Fifth Wheel Trailers. Must have been pretty good fire because it also scorched both his neighbor’s rigs. Nobody was hurt but sadly the owner’s pet dog wasn’t able to escape the blaze.
posted by Mike and Aimee at 1:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home