Mount Rainier

Hey y'all!

It's a few days into the trip and already we have seen some spectacular sites. On Saturday we rolled out of our friend Kecia Doolittle's apartment and headed form Mt. Rainier National Park. It was a bit of a drive but as we climbed through the mountains, but we were greeted by a snowcovered Rainier standing tall and proud. We hit the Pacific Crest Trail (the only dog friendly trail in the park). After about an hour of walking we hit some snow and the path became unclear. We were all pretty tired, so we headed back and made some dinner at Tipsoo Lake which overlooks the mountain. After getting some food in the belly we found a nice spot on the side of the road in the nearby Snoqualmie National Forest and called it a night.

The next two days were filled with many hikes around the park. Because most of the good trails are not dog friendly we split up, one of us choosing a trail in the park and one of us taking the Pacific Crest with Seymour.  I'll leave it to Amber to describe her exprerience.

My first day was with the doggywog, Seymour Butts (thusly named because he compulsively lickes all the hair of his butt).  We took the Pacific Crest down the side of the mountains and then into the woods.  Like before we hit a bunch of snow and I wasn't too sure where to go.  Behind me another couple had been walking and I turned to see if they knew where to go.  They told me "We'd been following you".  Nuts.  So I decided to climb my way up the creek nearby and besides being a bunch of fun, led me straight to the trail.  After that it was more of a walk inward toward the nearby lake.  We kicked it there for a while and headed back.

My second day was much different.  I decided to take part of the Wonderland Trail, known for its intimidating climbs and epic views.  I headed over the the White River Campgrounds where I knew the trail split off and started climbing.  Oh boy, did was I in for a treat: an hour and a half of grueling uphill climb with little else to look at but a bunch of trees.  Just before my spirit was starting to wain, however, I came across a huge waterfall, probably close to 120 tall that crossed trail.  After spashing my face with water to refresh my heart, I plodded on.  After just a short journey I hit a fantastic view of the mountain and knew that I couldn't give up the journey.  After about another half hour of hiking up hill the ground became pretty flat and before I knew it, I was in this "Wonderland" which up until this point I had honestly been "wondering" about.  View after view of the mountains and Rainier filled my vision and creek after creek, meadow after meadow, and flower after flower filled my imagination.  I completed the journey at the top of the Bourough Mountain Trail where I was gifted an almost surreal view of Rainier and the surrounding landscapes.  Words are simply not enough for it.  You'll have to see it for yourself ;) After that I was a pretty easy climb down the mountain and a comfy dinner with my love. 

It is now Tuesday and we are sitting in a cafe in Astoria, Oregon, ready for some relaxation in the sun for the next few days.

-John

Well, John has basically told you our tale of Mount Rainier. My hike on day two was not as epic as John's solo hike, but the solitude and silence was epic for my heart. At one point on the hike I realized I had only seen a couple people, and that had been quite awhile ago. It only delighted me for a second, then I remembered hearing the ranger tell some people the day before that there was an agressive bear they were trying to find and put down. So I disturbed the silence by clapping and yelling, hoping to let the animals know I was there.
On my hike I saw several small waterfalls, and one epic huge one. In an attempt to get a better view of the huge, powerful waterfall, I stepped off the trail and fell, getting myself our first battle wound of the trip-several scrapes on the side of my right leg with a solid bruise underneath. It doesn't hurt enough to outweigh how badass I feel about it. The trail was supposed to lead to a Owywich lake, however the snow eventually became too deep and the trail was impassable. I turned back and sat on a log, soaked my feet in my favorite little waterfall and read.
We slept on shoulders on the road the winding road through the National Forest. The first night we freaked ourselves out, determined that every headlight that passed by was either a ranger about to stop and tell us we couldn't sleep there, or some drunk jerks ready to screw with us. On the third and last night we were finally starting to get used to it and feel safe when a car did stop, headlights pointed at us. They never got out, they were probably just checking their maps or peeing on the side of the road, but we must have held our breath the entire time. I wonder at what point I'll get used to sleeping on the side of the road, if I ever will.
The van is holding up, the dog is loving every minute of every hike and car ride, and the bed set-up is everything we dreamed of.
Unfortunately, as sturdy as old Luna is, we've made a mess of her, and the camera's cords have been lost of misplaced. (better than my wallet, which we spent 20 furried minutes at the Safeway gas station searching for.) We will update this post with our pictures of making burritos in front of Mount Rainier and all those waterfalls.
My first sight of Mount Rainier made my heart cry a little bit. I look forward to all the other landscapes we'll see trying to top it.
-Amber