Tag 26: Mt. Rainier National Park: 17.07.2018

After a surprisingly restful night, we discussed whether we really want to leave the dirty hut. All the alternatives were either not better or far beyond our budget. It's crazy, having to spend €180 for a pretty nasty place. Per night, mind you. But since everything else seems to be out of our reach, we decided to stay. €350 for a night in a nicer vacation home is no longer affordable... Besides, all the nice hotels are actually fully booked. After three or four calls, I gave up frustrated this morning.

But once that was settled, we drove into Mt. Rainier National Park in high spirits. As always, it's wonderful to drive along the highway and enjoy the view. Mountains, forests, and waterfalls shape the landscape here. And the best part is that we can actually see Mt. Rainier. That's very unusual, usually it's covered in clouds and mist. Even in the documentaries and on postcards, there's always a little band of clouds around the blue sky. Not with us, we have a splendid view of the snow-covered summit.

When we arrived at the visitor center, a friendly ranger explained in clear and precise German that it's too hot today for families with children (true!) and that we should take a shaded path along a river. Before that, we could take a look at a waterfall, but afterwards, we should drive somewhere else. We gladly accepted her suggestions and walked a little bit in Paradise.

But then, after an extensive and very nice lunch break with a picnic, we decided to drive to the hiking trail just 20 minutes away.

And indeed: from 30 degrees Celsius, it suddenly became 25 degrees Celsius. It's unbelievable how the temperatures can change within minutes even here in this park. There was a small hotel and a restaurant as well as the obligatory tourist shop, which led Iris and Sophia to spontaneously decide to just stay there and do absolutely nothing. In the meantime, Marvin, Silke, and Nuria went on a rather steep path with Julian to reach a waterfall. We had to walk across a tree trunk that spanned a really wild river. At least there was a railing!

At the waterfall, we were rewarded. The ascent was really demanding, but the way back was much easier. Even though it was a bit alarming that my knees suddenly hurt and that Marvin had to carry Julian Silke on his shoulders. Hopefully, this doesn't become a trend! After all, I had to give up a via ferrata tour two years ago because my knees were shot.

We then drove back on the fantastic road and had our dinner on the terrace, almost reconciled with the miserable hut. Unfortunately, no elk this time! They came by yesterday, but I couldn't take a photo because Julian fell and hurt himself pretty badly. But everything is fine now. Tomorrow, back to the national park. We love it!