National Park Update

Just under a year ago, I posted about my desire to visit my first National Park (revisit the post here). I wrote about visiting Crater Lake, thinking because of its proximity to Rainy City, U.S.A., that it would be the first I would visit. Well, little did I know I would be living in Washington for the summer and would actually visit Mt. Rainier National Park first. Now that my work is done in Washington for the summer and I’m back in Rainy City (well, technically I’m on vacation back in WI for a week) I miss seeing the gigantic façade of Mt. Rainier on the horizon.

I was lucky enough to visit the Park twice this summer. The first to tackle a day-hike on the Crystal Peak trail. Being from the Midwest, this means a few things; that I a) am obsessed with mountains b) take way too many photos of said mountains and c) cannot shut up about how awesome mountains are. Visiting Mt. Rainier up close and personal (or so I thought at the time) resulted in me absolutely falling in love with the park. Here are a few photos from my first trip:

Little did I know I would be visiting the Park again in July. My friend K.A.R. and I lazily drove around the Park and took in the sights from the car, enjoyed the winding (terrifying at times) roads, enjoyed a picnic and explored the highest point you can reach without a pair of gaiters and crampons. We parked at Paradise, where the National Park Inn and visitors center is located. From a fifteen minute hike up a paved path full of tourists, we took an heinous  ample amount of photos from here:

Needless to say, I fell deeper in love with the mountain and can’t wait to go back. Perhaps to climb someday…before my joints start really punishing me.

Random thought: Mt. Rainier is technically an active volcano, so is it still technically correct to call it a mountain?