Saturday, August 1st, 2015
This morning we were up and out of our cabln before 8 am. Kate had some hiking planned for us when we got to the Visitor’s Center at Mt. Rainier. Even though our cabin is right near the entrance, it still took quite a while to travel the windy roads to the Paradise Lodge and Visitors’ Center. It was cool this morning and I wasn’t sure whether I was going to need a sweatshirt, but as we hiked, believe you me, I did not need one. Altogether we hiked about five miles stopping often for water breaks and for Frank and me to catch our breath. Kate was very patient with her senior cititzen hiker companions.
It was a clear day and views of Mt. Rainier were magnificent. We had been here in 2002, but that day it had been cloudy and we never saw the mountain. We saw a deer and a marmot, like a groundhog back home only cuter. I think I will just have to let the pictures speak for themselves. It got to be about 83 degrees today. In the sun it seemed hotter and of course the ascent was far worse than the descent.
When we finished the trail we had lunch at the Paradise Inn. The inn was built in 1917 and was one of the first national park lodges that many others have been modeled after. As we sat in the cathedral ceiling room with its tall log supports and rafters, the setting was indeed a pleasant one to enjoy my Coors Light and food after our strenuous workout.
It was very crowded at the Visitor’s Center. After watching the 20 minute film about Mt. Rainier we left and headed back to our cabin to rest up. I don’t think Frank and I will be taking on any long distance hiking any time soon.
It spite of the crowds, we saw beautiful scenes today on our hike. Thank you, Kate, for being a very patient tour guide!
The pics are great!!! Looks like lots of other hikers were there too!