Monday - We went back to the national park this morning and arrived at Paradise before the visitors center opened. The parking lot was full and we parked along the exit road again. There were a lot of backpackers so I’m assuming that this must be the trailhead for a lot of hikes. Possibly for climbing to the peak. The light grey lines in the Google map screenshot show some of the trails in the area.
We drove through fog/clouds after entering the park and as of 10am, there is no view of the mountain itself. The area is still beautiful but no long views.
I walked up towards panorama point and got a decent view of the mountain when the clouds opened up. It only lasted for about ten minutes before the clouds moved back in. I got in a decent 3+ mile hike with over 1k elevation gain. I’m really out of shape.
Walking down was almost more challenging than walking up. The steps were better than the steep asphalt path. At least easier on me.
We made a couple of stops on the way out including a waterfall. This stop was more crowded than before with several busloads of Chinese tourists. The sun had come out by early afternoon but Mt. Rainier was still shrouded with clouds.
busloads of tourists....sigh
ReplyDeleteRight up your alley!
DeleteI have last visited Mt. Rainier almost 20 years ago, on a clear day with a few clouds. It looks like the mountain lost some of its snow cap in the meantime though. Cheers, SonjaM
ReplyDeleteI heard that the glacier is much smaller now than ever 20-30 years ago.
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