Blogs from Mt Rainier, Washington, United States, North America - page 4

Over the last few years, I have become increasingly more interested in traveling to places of natural beauty. As much as I love visiting cities and seeing incredible architecture, experiencing new cultures, and enjoying the wide range of eating options, there is something about the beauty of nature that pulls at my heartstrings in ways I cannot describe. Maybe it's the fresh mountain air, the vivid colors found only in the great outdoors, or the awe-inspiring views that force me to ponder the meaning of life. All I know is that some of my most enjoyable and memorable experiences have occurred while in the presence of an incredible landscape, a panoramic vista, or a lush countryside. As I slowly integrate into the world of outdoor experiences, I have begun to realize that here in Washington State, ... read more

We’ve been contacted by the Department of Gnomeland Security regarding the suspicious activities of one, Homey bin Gnomey. We disavowed any knowledge of such a personage, but then we discovered that we had unwittingly been transporting Gnomages across state lines. Somebody set us up and we’re in no little amount of trouble. If the DGS finds out about our aiding and abetting fugitive Gnomes we could end up between a Gnome and a hard place. We would appreciate any information you can provide on the masterminds behind this Gnomestic conspiracy. DGS believes there is a Gnome Cell in our midst and no one is safe from their prankish plots. You may be the next one Gnomed. Please help. ... read more

Today, we decided to sleep in a little, not remembering that the sun actually rises around 4:45am and our curtains were not quite drawn tight enough. We got ourselves up and ready and packed our bags. We rented our car with Budget and they came and picked us up at our hotel at 10am. After signing away my life and left arm on the rental agreement, we were on our way south on I5. We quickly decided the best route and headed right for Mt. Rainier National Forest. We arrived at the main gate of the park around 12pm. After paying the $15 fee, we were on our way. We decided to head for Paradise, that's right... Paradise... which is the location of the main visitor center on Mt. Rainier. On the way up we ... read more

We didn’t expect to hike in the snow in early June, but that’s exactly what we found ourselves doing. The Paradise area of Mt. Rainier is billed in the travel books as an expansive meadow of wildflowers during the summer. But summer on Mt. Rainier starts late, and the flowers are really in bloom in July and August. In June, at least this June, Paradise is still covered in snow. Of course, we didn’t figure that out until just before we took our first steps up the “trail.” We started that morning in Seattle, which is about 95 miles from Mt. Rainier. We stopped at a grocery for some hiking supplies and headed out. We crossed into the Park just after noon and started making our way up the mountain. First we passed Longmire, a jumping ... read more

What a day this was. Out of bed at 6am, I started driving towards Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier, on a clear day, is visible from Seattle even though it is 54 miles southeast of the city. This day was clear blue skies all the way (sunset to sundown) and around 80 degrees. By the way, Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano which has the highest peak (14,111 feet) in the Cascade Range (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ranier). The first and closest place to go was Carbon River, which flows out of Carbon Glacier (the largest, by volume, glacier in the U.S.) and through the Carbon Rain Forest (another temperate rainforest and the only inland rainforest in the 48 lower states). This time no paddling, only hiking. On the drive down, I made a short stop at a Wal-Mart in Federal Way ... read more