Helen and I have visited five National Parks on this journey through the Pacific Northwest. We stood in awe at Mount Rushmore, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier, and as grand and as stunning as each of them are, none of them surpassed the beauty of Mt. Rainier National Park. We were blown away by the staggering scenery we witnessed there.
We drove from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to spend the next four days visiting with my sister, LeAnn, and brother-in-law, Marty, in Yelm, Washington. Le and Marty are RVers, like us, and make their home on the Florida Coast. They escape the Florida summer heat by parking their motorhome at the Cascade Mountain base, where they own two lots alongside a lake surrounded by large Douglas Fir trees. I’ll go deeper into the details of their summer home in next week’s Easin’ Along, so come back for more.
The drive from Yelm to Mt. Rainier takes about 45 minutes, and we were up and out early to beat the crowds to the hiking trails. Before our visit, my sister told us that we would LOVE Mt. Rainier if we enjoyed Glacier and Yellowstone. I passed this comment off as local bias…I was wrong.
As soon as we arrived in the parking lot at the Visitor Center, we could see the summit of Mt. Rainier towering over us nearly 14,500 feet above sea level. Several information markers explained that this region receives more snowfall than any area in the United States. The moist winds moving east from over the Pacific Ocean rise over the Cascades and meet the cold Northwestern air, and the result is enough snowfall to bury trees and buildings. We arrived in August, and snow remained on the ground.
The trail rises sharply from the parking lot, and immediately we were struck by the dense covering of wildflowers on both sides of the path. The colors varied across the spectrum from bright red to deep blue and grew in clusters that resembled bouquets from a florist. I wished that I knew every flower’s name, but only recognized the Heather and the Aster. I encourage readers to help me. If you see a flower that you recognize, send the name along.
In addition to the wildflowers, we saw several Marmots beside the trail. These rodents are the western version of the Groundhog, but they look like a cross between a Groundhog and a fat Persian cat to me. The thick coat probably comes in handy in the snowy winter. A couple of these furry creatures came right up to as we met them on the trail.
At another point, Marty stopped to take some pictures and then paused to talk to a couple standing nearby. In one of those “small world” moments, it turned out that they were from Knoxville. Helen and I introduced ourselves to John and Tammy and discovered that we had had mutual friends from my homebuilder days. Like Helen, John has a passion for pickleball, and they engaged in a lively conversation about the game. John and Tammy also are RVers and are on a year-long trip across the country.
As is evident in our pictures, the weather on this day was perfect. Admittedly, we began our hike in cold weather–temperatures in the low 40’s (remember, it’s August), but there was no wind, and the sky was a deep blue. Nevertheless, as we neared the end of our hike, we noticed that a mist was gathering below Mt. Rainier’s summit, and, by the time we returned to the parking lot, the clouds and fog obliterated our view of the mountain. Often in life, timing is everything, and I’m so grateful that we got to see this stunning National Park before the curtain fell. Please visit the picture gallery to see more of the incredible scenery that fills this National Park (click here).
I’ve stated many times; our National Parks are the greatest gifts we’ve given ourselves. On a clear day, Mt. Rainier made that statement even clearer.
Thanks for joining us. We’re Easin’ Along.
