Mount Rainier National Park

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We crossed over the Idaho border and headed straight for Mt. Rainier. I have heard so much about this mountain and the northwest weather, so we prepared for the worst. Well, not exactly! We were planning on getting in a couple of hikes and then camping, but the rain and fog were so thick that it was almost impossible to see on the twisting and winding roads on the mountain. We did get a few hikes in, but with the weather being as wet as the great northwest can be, we decided to check in to a bread and breakfast instead. We found a great deal in a small town on the outskirts of the western entrance to the park in a town called Ashford. We had our own rooms which was a first, and a pleasant break from my coughing sister, and a fabulous breakfast of cheese and basil souffle and coffee cake and fruit.

After breakfast we battled back up to the mountain to see if we could get a few more hikes into some falls and catch a glimpse of the glaciated mountain. We did see some great waterfalls, deer, friendly marmots, and fellow hikers and ice climbers, but the fog was just still so thick that even at 7000 feet we couldn't see more than a few yards in front of us. I did manage to get a few good looks at glaciers on the other peaks like Mt. Adams in the distance on our walk back down through the alpine meadows, but still have not seen Mt. Rainier. It's okay though, I am told on a clear day that we can see it from Seattle as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Today we were supposed to head to Mt. St. Helen's, but again the weather out here is forecast for rain. Something I have been told is rare in August, but I thought it just always rained out here no matter what time of year it was. That is of course unless it is winter time on the mountains. We were told that Mt. Rainier received over 900 inches of snow this winter, which is why we were able to see so many alpine tundra flowers in the meadows at 5000 feet. I posted another video on our foggy trip to Rainier on my school web page. Check it out at www.yorkschools.org/~elawson and click on ""Where in the USA?" on the left side bar.

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