I guess I was joking last post when I said that I would write about going to Rainier the next day. But better late than never...
A bit over two weeks ago, myself and three friends headed down to Mt. Rainier. It was a completely clear day, and we were all so excited to be able to see the mountain growing in the car window. If we are speaking of mileage, it is not that far to the national park from Seattle. However, the speed limits slow way down once you get into the woods, so it takes a couple of hours to get there. Of course, we added a few minutes on to pick up a six pack of cold Rainier beer to enjoy at a yet unknown scenic lookout.
One reason we picked this day was that it was a national park free day. There are pros and cons to this. The pro is obvious: it's free. But everybody, and I do mean everybody, comes on a free day. It was a hike in itself getting from our parking spot to the visitor center to pick up a map as the parking lot was so overcrowded. After a quick talk with a ranger, and a great lunch provided by my friend Heather, we were on our way.
One thing I have found in national parks is that the majority of people there are interested in hiking about half a mile in on a trail, looking at what is in front of them, and turning back. So it's nice to find a trail that at least goes three miles, and you will not be completely surrounded by people. This held true for our time at Rainier. It seems like the first jaunt of a hike will be paved, and then things switch over to actual trail. Most people just can't make that step off of the concrete.
As we were only here for the day, we picked out two trails to hike which we thought would provide good walking as well as some great views of the mountain. The first of these was right out the front door of the visitor center, and this was the one which had a lot of people at it's start (and let me vent for just a moment here: something that always confuses me is how many people bring hiking poles for a short stroll. I guess if you have weak ankles it's one thing, but, in my opinion, if you are that into hiking, you shouldn't need poles to walk less than a few miles. And no, your not impressing me that you have all this unnecessary gear). Anyway, this hike worked it's way going up the hills which are at the base of the mountain. It was truly an amazing feeling to be looking up at something which I have wanted to see for such a long time. The trail became muddy quite quickly, and we even spent some time hiking through the snow. Since the trail cut off into several different ones, we took the path which dumped us out by the parking lot where my car was. After stomping some of the mud off our shoes (or sandals, in my case) we climbed in and headed even further into the park for our next hike.
I don't recall the name of our second hike, but it was about five miles, and made a loop which started at a crystal clear lake, went up to an open field, and came back down again to where we started from. When I think if this hike I will always think of beer, bugs, and beauty. As I said, we thought it would be fitting to have a cold Rainier (think Pabst Blue Ribbon's really ugly sister) when we came across a sweet view of the mountain. This hike provided that view for us, and I have never been happier to consume cheap booze. The problem with drinking our beer in the glory of this mountain view was the biting flies which would not leave us alone. I've never encountered pests which were so persistent.
Well, when we got back to the car, we were all looking forward to a substantial bite to eat. It was just after 5, and the nearest restaurant was at least an hour away, so the decision was made to say goodbye to Mt. Rainier. But there was one more new experience to be had on this day trip. I had never before eaten deep fat friend pickles. After spending the day walking, the were surprisingly satisfying.
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