Mount Rainier, September 2018.
They call it paradise. They are not wrong.
Whether you live in Western Washington or are visiting, Mount Rainier is THE must see, we put it on the license plate after all. It would take weeks and some impressive mountaineering equipment to explore every inch of the mountain but if you are not training to summit Everest and are a bit more like me with only a Saturday to play tourist then Paradise is a perfect place to start.
Paradise is located at Rainier's main visitor center, the Henry M Jackson visitor center. It is complete with two parking lots, a wide array of picnic tables, and, most important, fully plumbed bathrooms. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have driven to a trailhead and found no bathroom, not even a gross outhouse. Starting a hike at a visitor center with a real bathroom is a luxury that I get excited about and you should too. It makes the park much more accessible for people who might not have learned how to survive in the wilderness, as well as people who just drove two hours to get there. But I'm getting away from the subject.
My first impression upon arriving on the mountain was that it was cold. My friends and I had gone in early September and while it got into the 70s that day... at home, life on the mountain is a bit colder. Once I pulled on my sweater and stopped focusing on the goose bumps forming on my neck the views, even from the parking lot, stole my frosted breath. Paradise was given its name by John Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, who, reportedly, exclaimed, "oh what a paradise," upon first seeing it. Who am I to argue with the guidebook? And it is a paradise. Even with Fall fully upon us the meadows were bright and green and surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Pictures and words simply do not capture the beauty and awe that surrounds you when you surrender to the call of the mountains.
Just like the ocean there is something about the mountains that feels like home. What is nice about Mount Rainier, particularly the Paradise Area, is how hard they have worked to make that feeling of home accessible to everyone. There are several views that are east to get to just by car, the entire Skyline Trail is wheelchair accessible, with assistance, and most of the trails are paved and level so you can enjoy the meadows and glacier views no matter what your level of mobility is.
I actually have some mixed feelings about this.
On the one hand, my first job after college was for a company called Splore. Splore was a non-profit whose goal was to make outdoor adventures accessible for everyone no matter their ability. We had specialized equipment so people with physical disabilities could go cross-country skiing and white water rafting and all sorts of other adaptive equipment. While I was there I wrote grant proposals for a rock climbing program for kids with autism. There is a big piece of me that wants everybody to be able to love these things that I love.
There is also a piece of me that only cares about me and what I want.
I want to hike.
I want to go to the mountains because they are wild and perilous and untamed.
A leisurely stroll up a slight incline is not a hike, not to me. Don't get me wrong, I do not need an unmaintained trail that I have to force my way through, hacking away branches with my machete to feel like it is an adventure but I'd like a reason to put on my hiking boots.
Growing up my great grandparents owned a cabin in the Sierra in California. It is in the back country of the same mountain Sequoia National Park is on and nothing about that valley and the trails crisscrossing over it is ADA approved, and it never will be. Scrambling over rocks and up steep slopes, now that is what I call hiking. Staring up at fully paved trails that were wide enough for me and my three friends to walk side by side tasted like dissatisfaction. That is, until we turned down the MorraineTrail. That is where the adventure started, everything else was just getting there (well... getting there AND quality time with some good friends).
The Morraine Trail is one of the less known and used trails in the Paradise area despite being only half a mile long and having a stunning view of the Nisqually Glacier. It probably has something to do with the fact that it is a primitive dirt trail that disappears into the trees. Like I said, I'm fine with that. Trails that are not used by many humans are usually used by many animals and that is what I hike for.
Once you disappear into the trees that loud world behind you just fades awat and you get to enjoy all that is good and green in this world. The trail ends at the edge of a valley cut by the big river you crossed on the drive up but if you are feeling intrepid you can explore up and down the ridge for at least a mile. Or relax and enjoy lunch and the Nisqually Glacier.
I would recommend not getting too close to the chasm though, the ridge does not seem entirely stable and your eyes will fib to you. it is deeper than you think. My friend Amy and I must have stood at the edge for ten minutes debating if that was a big river that was far away or a little river that was moderately close.
"See," Amy muttered, "this is why people fall off of mountains."
(In case you were wondering, it is a big river and it is is far away)
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