Mount Rainier National Park Part 1

We finally made it to Mount Rainier National Park. JD had a mandatory conference to attend in Portland so when we found out, we made the goal to get up to Mount Rainier if the weather was good. Let me just say, the weather wasn't just good, it was perfection: 72 degrees, sunny without a cloud in the sky. Fall was starting-a happy bonus for me, and we had a great time hiking all over the park. In order to accomplish this feat, we were on the road leaving Portland by 6 AM and in the park at 9:30 AM. We started at Grove of the Patriarchs and had a blast hiking among these giant, acient trees located on an island that is accessed from a rad suspension bridge that only allows one person at a time.

A few fun facts about Mount Rainier:

• It is the 21st most prominent mountain in the world with an elevation rise of 13,211 feet from its nearest low point. It is the most prominent mountain in the lower 48 states.
• Mount Rainier, a giant stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc, is considered an active volcano with its last eruption in 1894. Rainier erupted over a dozen times in the last 2,600 years, with the largest eruption 2,200 years ago.
• Mount Rainier is the most glaciated mountain in the contiguous United States with 26 major glaciers as well as 35 square miles of glaciers and permanent snowfields