Mt Rainier - Glacier Basin

After a wonderful weekend spent at Mowich Lake in Mt Rainier NP a couple of weeks ago, we thought it would be good to explore another area of our backyard playground.

We drove in the east side of the park, checked out Sunrise visitor center, then back down to hike out of White River campground up to Glacier Basin...a backcountry site. The trail looks a little different this year than in years past...

Last November, a huge storm hit this place hard, and it is still recovering. A huge 'thank you' goes out to the countless number of volunteers and donors who have helped get the park back in 'order.'

But the hours these men and women spent on the trails, are incomparable to the way God created nature to revitalize itself after complete destruction.

the mountain in our backyard.

"our mountain" in the background.

reading about mt rainier's one hundred year storm in the newspaper
does not do the damage justice.


she loves this stuff.


brooke-size.


the glacier basin trail...or what's left of it. this trail was hit pretty hard.
at times we would find ourselves hiking up boulder-strewn fields where
the trail once was, and a stream now flows.


the trail? follow the yellow caution tape.
start in the lower right and zig-zag to the upper right.


after 1.5 miles of climbing, dodging, jumping, and somersaulting about boulders,
we made it back to the original trail.


after a bit of the original trail, we found ourselves back in an area of decimation
[as ranger dave spoke of his land.] we needed a trail break.


imagine if you will, this river bed did not exist before november of 2006.
the tree line to the upper right was where the trail was. when the fully saturated ground could hold no more water, 17 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. massive flood damage and demolished roads caused the park to close. click here for supplemental reading.


happy...as usual.


with beauty like this, it's easy to forget a torrent of water moving
vw westfalia-sized boulders down stream.


fresh mountain goodness. have a sip.


base camp.



a normal daily routine involves a paradigm shift. instead of hopping up and
trotting to the pantry for a snack; you scamper down the trail to the bear pole,
remove stuff sack filled with energy bars and then put the sack and empty
wrappers back up.


ready for the brisk morning hike down.


i love this woman!



one small step for man, one huge leap for a pika!


testing the waters.


now that's a slug! could be a banana slug...what do you think 'naturalist joe?'


glacier basin - 2007


glacier basin - 1900


click here for more pictures from our trip