From Eatonville, I rode about 50 miles
(8-24) to Cougar Rock Campground (very nice) in the National Park, then up the mountain to
the Visitor Center at Paradise (elevation 5400’). The climb really wasn’t very
difficult – in part because of a modest grade and in part because I wasn’t
carrying all of my stuff. As I looked at Mount Rainier early in the day, I realized I was
running out of superlatives, so I thought I would paraphrase a few today: the author of
Charlotte’s Web "Some Mountain"; Crocodile Dundee "that’s not a
mountain, this is a mountain"; Neil Armstrong "one giant mountain for
mankind"; Superman "this one will take at least two, maybe three bounds";
Robert Lewis Stephenson "thar she blows" (well hopefully not that one). I was
thinking about those things during a time when I hadn’t seen the mountain top for a
few miles, then I crossed a bridge and turned a corner and felt a "presence"
over my shoulder. I glanced to my right and saw part of the mountain, but could also see
(peripherally) a larger mass behind me. I pulled over to the edge of the road, stopped,
turned around and uttered out-loud this stunning new superlative: "Holy ____ –
what a mountain". (Becky, you have editor’s prerogative on this one.)
From the Visitor Center, I hiked another 2
miles (900’ vertical) to a point where I got a real good view of the Nisqually
Glacier in one direction and the high (volcanic) mountains to the South in the other. I
could see Mt. Adams (second highest peak in Washington), Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood
(highest peak in Oregon – about 100 miles away). I was awestruck.
I also learned that Mt. Rainier is only about
one million years old and that it has had at least 11 explosive eruptions in the past
10,000 years. It’s easily the most majestic single mountain I’ve seen, and I
think it would rival any in the world (Kilimanjaro, Fuji, Matterhorn, etc.) for title of
"world champ." The National Park Service offers a great summary for this Park:
"Take a look at this mountain; it may be gone in a million years."
(Great
Adventures to Scenic Places)
