Of course, a visit to Rainier National Park wouldn't mean a thing without the chance to see Mt. Rainier itself. And the mountain certainly does make an impression. The elevation is over 14,000 feet, which sounds high in and of itself, but it's even more impressive to think that our camp ground
in the park was only about 1900 feet above sea level. That is quite a rise! We considered ourselves very lucky that we got to see the mountain at all. We learned that a good number of people who come to Rainier never actually get to see it because it is usually cloudy. Mount Rainier actually creates it's own weather system, trapping clouds and moisture coming in from the Pacific Ocean. The contrast between western and eastern Washington was very stark, and Rainier is at the heart of why and where that contrast occurs.
Dallin was most impressed with the fact that Mt. Rainier is an active volcano.
Hiking the day before, we were hot and sweaty with temps in the 90's and high humidity. Now it was chilly with plenty of snow on the ground! My aunt used to do a lot of mountain climbing, and she was part of a search-and-rescue team that brought many a stranded climber off of Rainier.
Snowball fights between cousins.
Short hikes with uncles.
Pondering the view.
Totally different climate and ecological zone here!
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