Mount Rainier -- Up Close

  Click on any image for a clearer view.

My sixty-fourth birthday present from Regina was an all-expense paid trip to Seattle. The ostensible reason for the trip was for us to visit my son Matt whom Regina had never met and whom, for the past five years, I have known only as an infrequent e-mail presence or a voice on the phone.

The real reason for the trip was for us to meet Mt. Rainier up close and personal, but to keep up appearances we did arrange to take Matt and his friend Kelly along on the trek.

On the evening that we arrived we were greeted at the airport by typical Seattle late-fall weather…. wet and chilly, the same as it had been for the previous three days.

However, at the hotel, some pleasant conversation with a friend of Regina who lives in the area -- along with a few pours of something alcoholic -- lifted our spirits considerably. Then, over dinner with Matt and Kelly, we agreed to meet early the next morning to drive up to Mt. Rainier National Park, rain or shine.

 

 

The verdict was shine! --- After a bit of early-morning fog the day broke clear and warm, more like Early June than late September. There was only a hint of mist in the air as we approached the mountain.

We had no illusions about going all the way to the summit but we did want to hike up the trail as far as legs and weather would allow, to enjoy the experience and the views.


Of course the first impression of Mt. Rainier when seen from a distance is the immensity of it. And then it seemed to grow as we approached up the winding road to the visitors’ center.

I love mountains. I’ve very much enjoyed getting to know Mt. Washington well. It is a beautiful mountain and a challenge to climb in all but the mildest weather. I found Mt. Katahdin almost equally as impressive and beautiful as well. But Rainier is a thousand miles away and in another class entirely.

 

The hiking trail begins at the visitor’s center as a very civilized asphalt mini-roadway. It rises gently for a while, narrowing, then giving way to gravel and native stone as it reaches the first serious slope.

The trail is not so much difficult as it is relentless, often steep but still a simple walkway all the way up to the point where the only routes on to the summit are either over a glacier or up stark rock faces. We didn’t go there.

At the lower levels of the trail we were comfortable in short sleeves, and sunburn was a real concern. As we climbed higher, though, we noticed that the air cooled as it thinned and the day wore on, and the gusts of wind developed a distinct bite; we were glad to have our windbreakers.

Climbing higher, when we began passing isolated fields of ice I expected that the edge of the glacier would appear soon. But, of course, cresting the next rise showed the glacier to be still well ahead and well above us, seeming to grow larger rather than closer.
It was only by looking back into the valley behind us that I had a sense of having climbed to any significant height. Passing outlook after outlook, we began to see over the tops of the adjacent mountains and, finally, in the distance, the other tall peaks of the range… including, barely discernable to the eye but not the camera, the scarred face of Mt. St. Helen’s. (The sight reminded me that I was walking up the side of a live volcano.)

 

When we reached the point where hiking would have soon become climbing we decided to have a high-altitude lunch and turn back.

Personally, I found the views more attractive when I knew that I didn’t have any more steep trail to climb, but the footing was often a bit dicey, especially where the trail was covered with loose gravel volcanic shale stone.

Here's Kelly and Matt, still smiling as we neared the top of our climb. (Mt. St. Helen's is now dimly visible through the second notch in the ridgeline behind Matt.)

All in all, it was a nice hike in great company on a beautiful day. And, trust me, that cold pitcher of beer served up at the inn back in the visitors’ center was among the best beers ever brewed.

The road not taken.
 

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