Leslie and David's Wanderings: 8 August 2019 Back to Paradise

We decided we really wanted to hike in the Paradise area after seeing the north side of Mt Rainer from Sunrise. So once again we were up early to head up to Paradise. And once again, as we climbed up through White Pass, the fog/clouds moved in. It did not look promising. But we continued with the hope it would burn off in the morning. As we climbed in elevation the fog/clouds got thicker and just before we arrived at Paradise, we climbed above the clouds and were looking over a sea of white with jagged peaks poking up and beautiful Mount Rainer glistening in the sun. Spectacular. After conferring with a Ranger, we decided to take Waterfall Trail to Deadhorse Creek Trail up to Glacier Vista and then come down on Skyline Trail. The sun was bright, the temperatures just right, and a slight breeze to cool us off now and then. As we climbed up Deadhorse Creek, Mt Rainer was right in front of us. We had awesome views of Nisqually Glacier and the many waterfalls from snow and glacier melt cascading off the mountain. The climb was steep, but we took our time and trudged along immersed in the many wildflowers, pine scent, and fresh air. It only took us an hour to reach Glacier Vista. We stopped for a drink of water and to eat some of our trail mix. The little chipmunks came out of nowhere seeking a snack. After taking photos, we decided we were not really that tired and decided to continue up Skyline Trail to Panorama Point (Altitude 6800 feet). As we looked behind us, we could see the clouds were climbing up the mountain slowly and seemed to be getting thicker. In the hazy distance we could see Mount Adam and Mount St. Helens sticking up through the clouds.

When we arrived at Panorama Point, we again dropped our packs and sat down for water and a snack. David went to the end of the point to use his cell phone camera to take a panoramic photo. As he started to take it, a bee landed on the camera lens. So he stopped and cleared the photo and tried again. Again the bee flew up and landed on the camera lens. So he shooed the bee off, and tried again, and again the bee came back and David was trying to move the camera while shooing the bee away. Needless to say it was not a successful shot as you can see his hand or the bee in the frame. We sat down on a rock and pulled open our trail mix for a snack and again a chipmunk came running up. This one was a bit more aggressive. It ran up David’s leg to his lap and kept trying to reach for the bag. David held the bag up high and the chipmunk ran up his back to his shoulder and then started climbing up his arm, so he switched hands. The chipmunk ran down his arm, across his shoulders and up the other arm! Leslie grabbed the bag and the chipmunk jumped from David’s arm to Leslie’s lap! Meantime there are 30 people watching this and laughing. David finally relented and gave the persistent guy a raisin and an almond.

Following our rest, we trudged our way up High Skyline Trail and then took the Golden Gate trail back to Paradise. It was a beautiful hike (5.2 miles, 1,673 of elevation gain, 1594 calories burned) and a fitting end to our Mt. Rainer visit.

We came off the trail by Paradise Inn and decided to stop in the historic Inn for a beer before heading back to the Wanderer. While we were drinking our beers, a Ranger came strolling up and began to chitchat. Ranger Jim Roberts is a seasonal ranger (he worked 3 months a year) and has been doing it for 52 years! He was about to give a history presentation on Paradise Inn and the surrounding area and invited us to stay for his presentation. So Leslie grabbed our hiking poles and packs and took them to the Behemoth to get our lunch cooler and David grabbed the beers and headed for front row seats for Ranger Roberts presentation. We sat in cushioned chairs and learned about the development of the Paradise area and Paradise Inn while we enjoyed our lunch. The inn was built in 1916 and went through modifications to account for the 30 feet of snow they get in Paradise each winter. The inn just finished up a major renovation, which started in 2009, to shore up the old structure and bring it up to modern safety codes. Ranger Roberts passed around old photos illustrating the history of the area both prior to and after it became a national park in 1899 (the nations fifth national park).

Following Ranger Roberts presentation we headed back. The clouds were still hanging below us as we started down in the Behemoth. But as we got closer to the Stevens Canyon entrance gate the clouds thinned and the sun poked out. We drove over to Packwood to fill up on fuel and pick up some grocery items before driving back through White Pass to Rim Rock Lake. Critter Sightings: On the drive up White Pass in the morning, a pair of Elk cows crossed the road in front of us, we saw a Grouse sitting in the shade along Waterfall Trail and a Marmot was along the Skyline trail just before we got to Panorama Point.