July 19, 2021
After a busy day of hiking up Mount St. Helens as much as we could without having a permit (note-to-self: get a permit!!) and then lots of driving, we finally arrived at Rainier National Park and found our spot at the Cougar Rock Campground, our home for the next two nights. John’s parents were meeting us there, and we would be vacationing together for two weeks.
July 20, 2021
Our first activity of the day was the 1-mile round trip hike to Myrtle Falls. Along the paved path there were little signs identifying native flora; I enjoyed trying to learn the common flowers of Washington. Soon we reached the bridge overlooking the gorgeous waterfall. We were also fortunate to have a completely clear sky and views of Mt. Rainier.
Next we completed the 1.2 round-trip Nisqually Vista Trail. At the viewpoint we met three ladies who were also from the Northeast.
John and I needed more of a challenge, so we ended our day with the 3-mile round trip hike up Pinnacle Peak. The mix of scree and talus made it tricky, so we opted for the “window” and not the actual summit.
July 21, 2021
John and I awoke early to hike the Skyline Trail, and instead of the gorgeous weather of the previous day, we had fog and temps in the upper 30s. We arrived at Panorama Point and could not see anything. The sky opened up a bit on our way to Camp Muir, and we got a peek of Mt. Rainier’s false summit. We turned around at the crevasse sign; we didn’t want to bother with any of the snowfields. After we finished the hike, John and I met his parents at the Paradise Inn and warmed up with hot lattes.
Before our hike we had packed up our tent. Now it’s time to head over to the Ohanapecosh area of Rainier National Park.
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Adventuring with Mel and John 