So we set off at 9am, went to a French bakery to pick up our lunch (yes, for picnic again), and hit the roads at 10am. Boy, the journey was about 100miles one-way. 2 hours had passed, I was still on the road, and was beginning to regret.
"Its going to be worth it," my cousin comforted. It'd better be.
Long straight roads that seemed endless:
Finally we are in the park. Stopping a few times to take pictures.
After encountering several turns (boy I was starting to feel nauseous), we finally arrived at Paradise! It was 1pm, the place was pretty crowded, we managed to find an empty lot to park the car. Not willing to waste any more time, each of us quickly grabbed a granola bar to silence our growling stomachs. Tasty.
And we set off. Everywhere was covered with snow. We missed the trailhead, had to backtrack and follow the crowds.
Hikers training with ropes tied to each other
It was pretty dangerous as we were not equipped with snowshoes or walking sticks to counter the slippery snow. We adopted a let-see-how-far-we-could-go attitude as we slowly trekked on the snow.
There were fewer and fewer people heading out on the trail. Most turned back after taking some pictures. Much as we wanted, we decided to turn back seeing the steep slopes and lack of signs (most likely covered in snow). Pity pity, we took 3hrs to get here, "trekked" for 3hrs, and back 3hrs. But it was worth it, at least for my cousin, I'm sure she had good memories of this place. For us, we will definitely come back, after the snow has melted, and wildflowers blooming against a backdrop of glaciers.
Skyline Loop
Round-trip: 5miles
Elevation gain: 1500ft
High Point:6900ft
See you again, maybe in Sep?
4 comments:
Why Sep? Why not earlier like Aug? Would the snow not melt by then? Aug should be quite warm isn't?
Yes, its getting hot, but nope, the snow would still be there in Aug. Mt Rainier has the most snowfall compared to other mountains in the region. Sep is guarantee, sure no snow one! (Its been a long time since I spoke Singlish)
Nice photos. Must be pretty difficult to walk on the snow. Which month would autumn be? Should be beautiful with autumn leaves as backdrop too.
Yes it is very difficult indeed. We din expect the snow, so din get snowshoes that have those teeth underneath. And poles too. :(
Autumn or fall (locals call it), start from mid Sep. I've seen pictures of wildflowers blooming against the mountain. Very scenic. Have already planned a weekend trip there in Sep.
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