The Road Less Traveled...

Storm clouds gathering at Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier magnificence - cloaked in white

Dusk descends on the mountaintops

We watched excitedly as the climbers descended slowly

Oh - we love the high country!

When provided the opportunity, we always tend to pick the less popular road to access a park or special destination - the benefits being: far less traffic and hassle on the road, quaint towns, fewer people and shorter lines, if any. As wonderful as they are, we tend to avoid the "Carmel-like" venues, and, instead, are drawn to places that are less touristy and relatively unknown. We love the adventure of discovering new places (to us) and the wonderful surprises we find around each bend.

After the heat of the day, dusk quietly settles on the Columbia River at Lincoln Rock State Park

We left Winthrop, Washington and headed south toward Mt. Rainier, staying for one night at Lincoln Rock State Park (which is located on the Columbia River just below Lake Chelan).  During our drive there, we were shocked at the devastation the area fires had recently caused.  Huge parcels of timber were charred and blackened, but the fire fighters did an unbelievable job saving many homes that were clearly engulfed by fire on all sides.  We could see the blackened earth and bushes reaching almost up to individual house doorsteps and barn eaves, but these structures and often the orchards surrounding them were saved and remained standing, contrasted against all the black and bare ground. It was impressive.  The signs in the store windows saying "Thank you, firefighters" also clearly told the story.  These brave men and women were clearly heroes!

Green shade at Lincoln Rock - so welcome in the heat!

We camped that night on a green lawn under the shade of huge oaks - such a relief after seeing the destruction of the fires and experiencing the heat of that area (95 degrees). For dinner, we bought fresh nectarines and peaches at a local fruit stand and feasted on our version of a fruit salad. Ambrosia after such a scorching day.

Fresh peaces, nectarines, and romaine - yum!

At 9:00 p.m. the temperature remained in the low 90's - so in desperation to cool off, like kids, we dove into the Columbia River - Yikes!  Cold, but refreshing to say the least.  Aaahhhhh!  Finally we had cooled off - before turning in!

The river looked like glass in the evening

The next day (Tuesday), we followed Hwy 410 over Chinook Pass on our way to Mt. Rainier and the White River Campground.  The road there was virtually empty - we passed only a few cars.  As we came over the pass, the view was breathtaking!  The sky was clear, and the snow-covered Mt. Rainier greeted us proudly! We had never seen her before, since it has always rained (heavily) when we visited before.  We spent five gorgeous days hiking and exploring the park and the sun shone the entire week!  It was spectacular!

Mt. Ranier - standing proudly and beautiful!

If you don't like the view - just wait a minute!

Clouds were attracted to her, but they never lasted long!

We always get the best campsite - roomy, sunny and quiet - ideal for us! White River Campground

Our campsite was situated perfectly - next to the White River and near many of the trails we wanted to hike (we could literally walk from our campsite to a number of the trail heads). For our first hike, we followed the Glacier Basin trail and turned onto the Glacial Moraine side trail.  There we had beautiful views of the mountain and the White River. Then we proceeded back up the main trail and back (6 mi. RT).

The Glacial Moraine Trail

Lush shrubbery and waterfalls were abundant

A convenient log across a tributary stream...don't look down!

Blue asters trailside

Salmon berries

Even in late summer, the wildflowers and berries were plentiful along the trail.

Pesto pasta with nectarine salad - our feast that night.

Our next hike took us up to Sunrise and up over the Sourdough Ridge Trail to the Mr. Fremont lookout, then we returned through the meadows and back to the Sunrise Visitor Center (6 mi. RT).

The old Sunrise Inn - now a cafe and gift shop

Sunrise Visitor Center - Blockhouse style structure

Looking up toward Sourdough Ridge from the Visitor Center

The lone ranger

We met this charming young ranger volunteer on both hikes. He works for the park service during the summer months, then paints and writes during the winter.  His desire - to have the time and just enough money to do exactly what he loves to do.  Looks like he is fulfilling his dream. These volunteers are called "meadow roamers."

My perfect companion!

The vistas were marvelous!

Note our destination at the very tip of the last mountain - a lookout station.

Sheer dropoffs to the side, but the views were worth it!

Skree debris

Lookout tower with our lone ranger waving hello

He invited us inside to check out the view.  Nice penthouse!

No wonder Jack Kerouac wrote so beautifully

A 360 degree view in all directions

Thunderheads gathered as we retreated

A glimpse of fall to come

The lovely meadows below Sunrise

Wildflowers persist still

Evening descends

Ranger patrol cabin used years ago before airplanes provided easier surveillance for fires

One clear sunny day, through our binoculars, we watched two sets of climbers making their way down the mountain face from the top.

The end to another perfect day

On Friday, we drove over to Paradise and Ohanapecosh on the other side of the park.  This was another beautiful area full of trails, an impressive visitor center, and a lovely lodge, but it was much more crowded with visitors.  We were pleased that we had chosen Sunrise and White River since they were far less crowded and provided great access to the mountain.

1930's picture of the lodge interior

The main Paradise lodge lobby as it looks today

Lodge interior

As we drove back to our campsite, and as we passed over the rivers and through the canyons of the park, it became much more apparent how much change this mountain continues to undergo, even at the present.  In 2008, severe flooding and downed trees caused massive devastation of the trails and stream beds.  With climate change, this change will only increase.  The ranger we met stressed that he has been working at the mountain for 6 years now and each year when he returns, he observes massive change throughout the park.  "It may appear static, but it is not" he stressed.  As the sign posted to the entrance to our campground attested:

Warning at our campsite

On Sunday, we pulled up camp and drove south - down Hwy 25 to Mt. St. Helens National Monument.  From Hwy 99 we were able view much of the destruction caused by the May 1980 eruption there and in contrast, we could see how much the area is recovering - slowly, but surely. The native people called it "Fire Mountain" for a reason.  It has a history of erupting for over 3800 years.

Mt. St. Helens - northeast side

Denuded hillside miles away - but regrowth is occurring everywhere

The forest service replanted much of the Clearwater Valley with alder, cottonwood, noble fir and cottonwood.

Many dead trees were left standing to provide wildlife habitat.  Note how tall the new trees are now!

Lupine - incredibly replenishes nitrogen to the soil - enabling other species to flourish.

Ash layer clearly visible from the road

Life thrives!

Driving this route was treacherous with a trailer.  Around every bend, portions of the road were gone or falling off the hill and we had to maneuver constantly on the road to avoid the huge holes and bumps.  The mountain and hillsides are still definitely on the move.  We would never recommend driving this route at night!

The road is quickly disintegrating still.  The mountain is still on the move.

The double-striped line has been repainted 3 times at the minimum

Blast zone with new growth beginning

Spirit Lake - the logs which filled the lake for years are now disintegrating and the lake is returning now to normal water quality

Fish and other aquatic species are retuning to the lake

Mt. St. Helens - caldera.  Hot spots still appear periodically - most recently in 2004

Evening settles on the mountain

What an incredible week!  As we move into the end of summer, we are heading for Oregon now and will be spending a few days in the Mt. Hood national forest, then will move onto the Three Sisters Wilderness area near Bend, Oregon.  There we plan on meeting up with Val and Joe for a few final days of adventure and exploration before heading home.