Day 121 - Mount Rainier Summerland

Sunrise and Summerland were the destinations for day 2 at Rainier. Sunrise is a high valley on the northeast side of the mountain. Before heading up the sunrise road I made a detour to Chinook Pass, famous for being a pass on the Pacific Crest Trail and for its nearby lake views of Rainier.

I drove along the road in hopes of finding elusive cell phone coverage and magically found coverage on most of the sunrise road. I drove up the long, winding road to its top and hiked out to an overlook of the Emmons Glacier, the largest glacier in the lower 48 states.

I then returned down the road to the Summerland trailhead and made some phone calls to friends and my father to talk logistics of two separate future trips next month. I set out for Summerland at 545pm. The first three miles were boring, heading up through the woods; I contemplated turning back. Then I reached an opening and saw what the fuss was all about-- why this hike was so popular.

The mystic view of Rainier and the craggy Little Tahoma peak glowed in the late afternoon light. I considered waiting for sunset at this spot but instead continued up a very steep hillside to the Summerland campground. The view of Rainier and Little Tahoma was even better from here-all views get better as you get higher. I hiked past the campground to a rocky hill on the far side. It was 1.5 miles and 900 ft up to Panhandle Gap, another destination on my list, but it was now 7:45pm.

I decided to go for it:) I was so close and I wanted to see the view across the pass--what was on the other side? So I hiked up, through moon-like volcanic landscapes surrounded by glaciers and ever-changing glorious Mount Rainier views. I reached the Gap and looked out to the other valley: Wow wow wow wow was all I could say. Wow wow wow. Like the hills of Tuscany but with a volcano (Mount Adams) in the background.

I turned back at 830pm and took this celebratory photo, perhaps my favorite portrait so far, in front of a magical Rainier sunset. I hiked the final hour in total darkness with a dim headlight to light the path. I now agree with the many others: Rainier is a spiritual experience!

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Days 89 and 90 - Waterton

I started my journey north to Canada today. My plan was to head to Waterton Lakes, just north of Glacier, then to Calgary, then the Canadian Rockies parks of Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Glacier and a few others, then to Vancouver and finally to Seattle, all over the next several weeks. But first I needed the Internet! I drove south out of Many Glacier to a place I remembered having cell reception. I did some emailing and calling back home, did some research for my Canada trip and watched the final three episodes of Game of Thrones--wow, the final two episodes were sensational. This rainy, dreary day was perfect for such activities. I then drove into Canada late in the evening and to a campground set in the cloudy mountains at Waterton. The weather cleared a bit the next day and I was able to do some hiking around this scenic alpine lakes district. Waterton Lakes district from a high hill called Bear's Hump: The chipmunks at Bear's Bump were very interested in the conten...

Day 106 - Seattle

My July 4th started with a drive from Vancover to Seattle, arriving at the Museum of Flight by 11. The museum tour began with a display of the 27 U.S. Flags, made interesting by announcing the history of the states entry into the union. This B-17 is similar to the bomber my grandfather flew in WW2. A former Air Force One plane that Kennedy road on was another highlight. I stayed all day at the museum enjoying the history of aviation exhibits and finally space! I drove into downtown Seattle to checkout the city parks reserved for fireworks watching. These neighborhoods were crawling with people and would make horrible stealth street camping sites. I called several hostels and all were full... but then I found one with one bed left. I reserved the spot and drove to the hostel to find it in walking distance to the fireworks. I joined a group waking down to see the fireworks. We were joined by a few others. Two skydivers with fire flaming behind their path were followed by...

Day 93 - Calgary to Banff

After a very pleasant morning at Dave's house spent photocopying trail and scramble guide routes, enjoying a great breakfast and coffee, meeting some of Dave's extremely kind family members and chatting more about adventures, I set out for downtown Calgary. I thought a walk around a museum would be a nice change of pace, so I toured the Glenbow Museum. Two highlights were a Blackfoot Indian describing the meaning of their Tipi decorations and the Gun Scupture. The history of Alberta section was also quite interesting: fur trappers then cowboys then railroad builders then oil drillers. I then walked down to a nearby waterfront park, along a pedestrian only shopping street where a Christian pride rally was taking place, and then down quiet side streets to the park. Seeing people out jogging and playing on this Sunday afternoon reminded me of the real life I must one day return to. But not yet! Hungry and ready for mountains, I walked back to my van and left Calgary heading wes...

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