Day 7 - Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier

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Today we traveled nearly 400 miles round trip to see both Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier. We traveled 36 miles over the winding Routes 25 and 99 to the Windy Ridge lookout. Not for the faint of heart. Mt St Helens peak is just about 2.5 miles from the lookout and there are great views of Spirit Lake along the route. After 30 years you can still see the path taken by the blast as the trees fell in the direction they were blown. We got to the lookout in time to hear a Park Ranger talk about the events leading up to the blast in 1980 and the transformation since that time. An incredible story and an incredible sight. We headed back down the mountain and north to the west entrance of Mt Rainier National Park. Incredibly scenic and we stopped at Paradise to eat dinner at the Paradise Inn - about 10 to 15 degrees cooler at this spot and incredible views of Mt Rainer.

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Photos

Mt St Helens
View from Route 99

Mt St Helens
Topographic Map

Mt St Helens
Dean snapping some wildflowers

Mt St Helens
View from Route 99

Mt St Helens
View from Windy Ridge

Mt Rainer
Reflection off of a lake along the route.

Mt Rainer
Yes, we found snow. More than you would have thought.

Mt Rainer
Another pretty mountain flower

Mt Rainer
Dean finds a bird hanging out

Mt Rainer
View from the west entrance

Mt Rainier
Waterfall along the way