Two Days in Mount Rainier
I almost can’t believe we’re already in the second week of July. I feel like whenever summertime rolls around, time itself speeds up about 10 times faster. This year has been surprisingly busy for me even though I have stayed relatively static in terms of my goal to switch careers. However, I have taken on new challenges for myself.
The one I really want to focus on today is I try to get outdoors at least once a week and I also try to hike at least once or twice a week. But time doesn’t always permit that. To compensate for a weekend without a hike, I’ll try to do at least two hikes the week after or like last week, try to get 4 hikes in (in which I actually was able to achieve). Plus, I went on my first backpacking trip in the Olympic National Forest during July 4. I’m hoping now that I have my workstation more set up, I will be able to generate content more frequently.
About two weeks ago, I went to Mount Rainier. Despite spending the past 10 years in the beautiful Seattle area, it was my first time entering the national park. Honestly, I was a little bit taken back by the fact that it is perhaps one of the most popular national parks in Seattle due to its close vicinity, it’s only about 2.5 hours to get there (pick the right to get out of town obviously). I’ve spent most of my time giving love to Olympic and North Cascades but I finally caved in and decided to hang out at Mount Rainier for the first time. I booked my campsites well in advance because I knew it was going to be a busy season. I snatched up possibly the campground available on a weekend at Cougar Rock campground. I usually don’t really care about which campground I stay at but it’s always good to be inside the park. That way, I don’t have to worry about driving in and out of the park to visit all the spots I intend to.
Although I mentioned how I was taken back by the fact that Mount Rainier is one of the most popular destinations and by the way, they weren’t kidding. I started my exploration in the Sunrise area because it was the first day it reopened after the winter and I was so impressed. But then I drove about 2 hours into Paradise and it was definitely a zoo. No offence to anybody out there but when I arrive at a spot swarmed by crowds and families everywhere, I always want to try to do a hike that might be more strenuous - it somewhat weeds out the families and crowds just by a slight bit. I stopped by the visitor center and asked about trail conditions even though I have religiously studied the official website prior to setting out. It’s always good to do extra preparation especially for a park like Mount Rainier due to its ever-changing weather conditions. After consulting with the ranger, I decided to just do Panorama Point and man, it was amazing.
The trail was about 40% snow covered I would say but I’ve found myself in situations like that a lot. I recently invested in trekking poles as well and they are indeed life changing. I used to think I’d look stupid always hiking with trekking poles but if you’re doing a lot of hikes, trekking poles do really help alleviate the pressure you put on your knees plus they come in super handy when it comes to trekking over intermittent snow fields. I got to the top with no problem and enjoyed the panoramic view for a good while. I was right about picking the ‘path less traveled’ because I was able to enjoy a tiny of solitude once I got to the top and was greeted by tons of chipmunks and a few marmots.
Overall, I’m so happy I was able to finally see the magic and beauty of Mount Rainier. Despite it being a super popular national park, as long as you do enough research, you’ll be able to find the hidden gems in the park where it’s not swarmed by crowds and families and their kids. I recently learned that part of the Leave No Trace policy is that it’s best to not share the actual trail name of the hike as that could suddenly spike up the popularity of the trail and potentially do damage to the trail itself. Nonetheless, I am happy to share where I stopped by and hiked if you shoot me a message.
This year has been a year of spending more time outdoors and really maintaining work-life balance for myself. It’s so important to be kind to your mind and periodically engage yourself in activities that you know will do good for yourself and your mental health. We’re only halfway through the year and I can’t wait to explore more and opt outside more.
