Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano and one of Washington's most iconic landmarks. Standing at over 14,000 feet, it is the tallest mountain in the Cascade Range and the fifth tallest mountain in the continental United States.

In the Seattle area, it's just called "The Mountain" and can be seen from the city on clear days.

Mount Rainier

Rainier is known for its year-round snowfields, 25 major glaciers, and stunning alpine scenery. It is considered to be one of the most potentially dangerous volcanoes in the country due to its high potential for catastrophic eruptions and lahars (volcanic mudflows) that could affect nearby populated areas, including the Seattle–Tacoma metropolitan region.

The mountain is the centerpiece of Mount Rainier National Park, which was established in 1899 as the nation's 4th national park, and which protects vast wilderness areas, ancient forests, subalpine meadows filled with wildflowers, and diverse wildlife.

the mountain view from the lodge

We arrived at Mount Rainier National Park in early afternoon. We were going to be staying inside the park at the National Park Inn, the official Department of the Interior lodge inside the park's base camp.

The area is known as Longmire, a historic district in the park dating back to the late 19th century when it was established as a mineral springs and health resort town. With the advent of the automobile, Longmire prospered by offering a filling station and eventually established itself as the park's first headquarters.

Today, Longmire Historical District is home to the park's only year-round lodging, a park museum, and a handful of scenic trails at the base of the mountain.

Mt. Rainier Lodge

After checking in at the lodge and dropping our bags off in our rooms, we took a drive up the park road to the Paradise Visitor's Center, the furthest up the mountain that we were able to drive at this time of year.

the upper ranger station at Paradise

Paradise is located at 5,400 above sea level, and the difference in scenery between it and the lodge couldn't be further apart.

Down at the foot of the mountain it was cool, damp, and rainy. Up here, just a 20-minute drive from the base, it was cold, frosty, and icy-clear.

inside the Jackson Visitor Center 

We got our national park passports stamped, perused the gift shop, then made our way back down the mountain to a rest area where we had a picnic lunch, albeit beset upon by Canadian Jays and Stellar's Jays who surrounded us, waiting until we left to see what we had dropped.

incredible alpine scenery

Even though it was late spring, it seemed that Mount Rainier was going to be more difficult to trek than we had expected. 

a view of the mountain

Many of the trailheads were still closed, and if our icy overland experience at Olympic National Park was anything to go by, it was going to be near impossible to do much hiking on the mountain.

the remnants of an ancient glacier

We stayed in that evening, dining at the restaurant inside the lodge. I ordered the bison meatloaf, which was served with mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, and gravy. I wanted to try something unique which was iconic to the park lodge, and bison seemed appropriate.

We turned in early that evening for a good night's sleep.

Bison meatloaf

The next morning dawned cold, dark, icy, and grey.

a very foggy morning

After a quick breakfast of hotel coffee and cereal bars, we all met up in the lobby to pile back inside the rental car for another drive up to the Paradise Visitor's Center.

the mountain's ranger station

We quickly realized that it was going to be far, far too cold, wet, and icy for us to hike with the gear that we had.

Pinky and me at the park headquarters

We drove back down the mountain to the base camp and decided to take a hike along the Trail of the Shadows.

Interpretive signs along the trail tell the story and history of the Trail of the Shadows and its surrounding area.

fallen logs in the rainforest

The Trail of the Shadows is a loop trail located at Longmire which passes through lush wetlands, verdant rainforests, and geothermal springs. It's one of the area's most historically and culturally significant trails.

a prairie, forest, and mountain landscape at the park

Long before American settlers arrived, the Longmire area, including what is now the Trail of the Shadows, was part of the traditional homeland of the Cowlitz and Nisqually peoples. These Indigenous communities used the area seasonally for hunting, gathering, and spiritual practices.

exploring the rainforest

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a handful of hot spring resorts were established along what is now the Trail of the Shadows, capitalizing on the supposed medicinal properties of the mineral-rich waters. 

These rustic wellness retreats attracted visitors seeking relief and rejuvenation in nature, drawn by the promise of healing in the beautiful green foothills of Mount Rainier. 

Iron Mike, one of the most well-known springs, is still visible today, its iron-rich waters bubbling up and leaving behind a vivid rust-colored deposit that stands as a visible reminder of the area's early history as a therapeutic destination. I'm not really sure I'd like to bathe in this water though... no matter how good the supposed benefits are!

"Iron Mike"

That evening we left the park and drove a few minutes down the road towards the Wildberry Restaurant, a small Nepalese restaurant owned and operated by Mr. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, a mountain climbing legend.

Mr. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa's climbing gear

On May 26, 2003, Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa reached the summit of Mount Everest from the Nepalese base camp in just 10 hours, 56 minutes, and 46 seconds via the Southeast Ridge route. This remarkable feat broke the previous world record and still stands more than two decades later to this day. The corner of his restaurant is a mini museum dedicated to the gear and history of his epic and historic ascent.

an oxygen tank from Everest's slope

Mr. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa has summitted Everest more than ten times, Rainier nearly 100 times, and has also climbed Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, Cho Oyu (the world's sixth-highest mountain), and many other of the world's most famous peaks.

He personally delivered our food to our table but was very shy and humble when we asked him about his incredible world records. He just smiled and nodded and asked us how our meals were.

They were, for the record, excellent!

My mom and my wife ordered the kukhura thali, which was a platter served with boneless chicken curry cooked in tomato-based gravy and spices and served with bhatt rice, daal, and vegetables.

Kukhura (Chicken) Thali

My dad and I ordered the Sherpa stew, which was a traditional hearty Sherpa dish served in a big bowl and made with green beans, carrots, red potatoes, celery, and beef cooked in warm flavorful broth.

It was my very first time to ever try Nepalese food, and it just inspired me even more to someday visit Nepal, one of my bucket list destinations.

Himalayan Sherpa Stew

When we returned to the lodge, a fire was roaring in the fireplace, and we sat for a while to enjoy the warmth with a game of Exploding Kittens before going back up to our rooms.

evening at the lodge

Mount Rainier is one of the most beautiful national parks I've been to! In fact, the entire Pacific Northwest so far has been really stunning. I've loved the cool weather, lush vegetation, and wildlife that we've seen - especially the birds. I ended up adding more than 20 new species to my life list over the course of the week!

morning coffee at the lodge

After two nights at Mount Rainier, it was time to drive on towards our next destination.

Originally, we had planned to visit North Cascades National Park up on the Canadian border. The country's second least-visited park, North Cascades is rugged, rough, and remote. It would have been very beautiful, but with the weather even at Olympic and Rainier still being cold and snowy, we realized that it just wasn't going to be possible to reach North Cascades. Some of the roads were still closed for the season, we might be required to use tire chains (not allowed on a rental car anyway), and the park headquarters wasn't even going to be staffed at this time of year! Not to mention the risks from grizzlies who might just be waking up from their winter hibernation!

My dad and I had a look at the map and decided that we should make a last-minute change to our plan, so after leaving Olympic National Park, we began driving down south towards Oregon, another new state for me to visit.