August 2, 2021
Vanlog, Budget Inn, Yakima, WA
We woke up outside Olympic NP at 5 AM and Jessica had the early shift while I tried to sleep in the back. Big mistake—it was like being on a plane with constant turbulence—total motion sickness! But she did get us to the doorstep of Mt Rainier NP before I took over. On the drive there, it was this typical Pacific Northwest morning fog and I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to see the top of the mountain; but God heard my prayers and the clouds lifted. After several roadside stops along the entry road, we parked our van at Paradise (WA not PA) and began our daily hike. From 10:00-2:30, during the 90-degree heat of the day, we did a 4.8-mile loop with 1660 ft elevation gain on the Skyline Trail to and beyond Panorama Point and then returned on the Pebble Creek and Dead Horse Creek trails before taking a short detour to see Myrtle Falls. The wildflowers were absolutely amazing. Fireweed, asters, lupine, avalanche lilies, and heather just carpeted the meadows with their splendor. After the hike, an ice cream was in order and then we drove out the east entrance of the park and over an hour beyond that to Yakima WA on our long trek toward home. But stay tuned because there might still be a few surprises left on the drive back.
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