The Pageant Ends At Paradise

 When I made the plans for my 80th birthday trip to Mount Rainier it was January, the Paradise Inn rooms were mostly reserved already, but I was able to get two rooms with the beds we needed for Sunday night, July 21st. We got our entry reservations for the National Park, and on Sunday morning we were on our way.

Jill and Jake had gone earlier because they were going to climb to Camp Muir from Paradise, from 5,000 feet to 10,000 feet. They are mountain climbers. 

Tom, Jan, and I arrived at the mountain about 10:30, found the parking lots already full, but not the handicap parking by the Inn, and with my permit, that's where we parked. 

Thrilled to be there, we followed well paved trails over to the visitor center, enjoying flowers as we went.

                                                       3D map of the mountain in the visitor's center

My shirt has a John Muir quote, " The mountains are calling and I must go".  Yes.

In the early afternoon, we bought lunch snacks at the Inn snack shop and had lunch on the porch with views of the Tatoosh Range. The weather was hazy but warm.

The old Inn is historic, nestled among apline firs on the flanks of the mountain. 

After a light lunch we were ready to try our "climb" up to Myrtle Falls, a short hike we have done before and a favorite place I thought I could make it to. 

The trail goes from gentle to steep and back and forth. There are benches for resting. 

We made it!

There is a short but steep trail down to that view point. Jan and I opted to sit and look at the mountain while Tom went down to get this photo. 

It is so beautiful there and we lingered before heading back down to the Inn.

Meanwhile Jill reported in that they had reached Camp Muir, 5000 feet in four hours.

While they were making the trek back down, we were resting in the Inn, eating ice cream, reading, and napping. 

We gathered for dinner in the dining room a little after 5:00, where we spent the next two+ hours "dining": appetizers, main courses, desserts.

We went for a walk around the area, and checked out the gift shops. We posed for a group photo in the long twilight and sat on the porch and talked. We had heard of the history making presidential news and talked about it just a little bit. 

Alpine heather and the new leaves of mountain huckleberry.

We were all tired so we went early to bed. The full moon rose and lit up our room through the open windows.

We met up for breakfast in the dining room at 8:00, where we all enjoyed the wonderful breakfast buffet. We always have plenty to talk about, often science based, physics and geology and math and more,  and lingered there.

We packed up, checked out, and then went for more walking. Jake went to Myrtle Falls and Jan, Tom, and I started up the steep skyline trail.

It had been foggy in the early morning, but now the fog had lifted, but still played peekaboo with the mountain tops.

What is this plant? I knew it was false Hellebore, but I looked it up to prove it. 

I

As the trail got steeper, I decided to turn back. Jill went with me and we sat down by the visitor center on a picnic bench and watched the mountain and talked. Jan and Tom went higher, and Jan found a sideways trail just above where I quit. Jake joined them from another trail. Tom took lots of photos, mostly of flowers, and there will be another post later.

Tom's photos.

About 11:00 we were ready start the trip back home. We stopped at Narada Falls, also a favorite place.

As were descending into the fog, we were saying goodby to the Mountain. We did not attempt that trail down to the full view of the lower falls, but I have photos from having been there before. 

And now it is Tuesday, the birthday pageant is over, the sky is a clear blue, the forecast is for cooler, pleasant temperatures, fresh blackberries have been picked, and little jobs are getting done.

We'll settle into summer mode, and I will reflect on a birthday pageant that was everything I hoped it would be.