Mt. Rainier, WA and Elbe, WA

July 13-15, 2011

Mt. Rainier, WA

I left Patt’s house on Tuesday morning, July 13th. We had lots of fun and great adventures and conversation, and some great food and fellowship.

Mt. St. Helen hidden in clouds

I headed towards Mt. St. Helen’s and upon arriving, it was raining a little and the mountain was not visible due to the clouds. It wasn’t supposed to clear up until Thursday, so instead of hanging around since there was no campground in the park, I headed north to Mt. Rainier.

It took a few hours to drive the distance between Mt. St. Helen’s and Mt. Rainier. When I arrived at Mt. Rainier about 4 in the afternoon, it was a bit cloudy and cool. The ranger at the entrance said that Cougar Rock campground was open and had some campsites available. As I was driving towards the campground I saw a fawn with spots crossing the road so I stopped. Then the fawn looked back across the road and saw its mom, so I waited and it crossed the road to get back to mom, so after taking a photo I continued on my way.

Fawn crossing road

Upon arriving at the campground, I found out that there are no water or electrical hookups at any of the park campgrounds but they do have potable (drinkable) water and dump stations which is a good thing. I found a nice campsite just off the road under some large trees. I started a small campfire and sat out and ate my dinner at the picnic table next to the fire. They really have limited hours to operate the generator: 8 to 10 in the morning, noon to 2, and 5 to 7 in the evening. I waited until 5 so I could make some warm beef, bean, and cheese burritos. I also heated some water for hot cocoa.

I walked around the campground for a while and had to wear a jacket since it was getting cooler. The clouds were lower than the mountain top not far from where I was camped. Eventually the sun peaked out and the sky turned a really pretty blue color. It was 67 degrees in my camper and temps were supposed to drop to the high 40s at night. I took pictures of the low clouds that covered the mountain tops. The clouds were so low, it almost felt like I could reach up and touch them.

Clouds in Mt. Rainier Park

There was a ranger program in the amphitheater 9 p.m. I took my wool blanket and something to sit on and headed towards where the program would be held. It looked like a drive in that the Flintstones would go to in Bedrock. There was a large movie screen behind some wood log doors, it was probably 15 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The benches were sawed logs, flat on the part you sit on, sitting on some notched out pieces of logs. It really was pretty cute, and very appropriate for the setting.

Cougar Rock Amphitheater

The ranger talked about various types of plants, trees, and flowers found in the park. He told us there was about 922 inches of snow this year and the record snowfall ever which I think was in the 1980s was about 1122 inches. When I got back from the program about 10 at night, I got washed up and under the covers. About 5 minutes later it started to rain… great timing.

When I arrived at my campsite this afternoon, I met a man named John who had the site across the road from me. He came over and said hello and we just chatted for a few minutes. We talked and found that we both had planned to drive around the park and look at some of the lookouts and maybe hike an easy trail or two. He said instead of me driving my camper, I could go with him in his car. I thanked him for the offer and said I would let him know. I prayed about it during the night, and it seemed like it would be okay. I also saw him at the ranger program.

Wednesday, July 13

When I got up this morning, I went and paid for 3 more nights here since it was okay and it only got down to 55 degrees in my camper at night. I was really warm as long as I stayed under the covers and got dressed as soon as I got up. It turns out since I have the National Park Service Access Pass that it is only costing me $7.50 per night which is really good, even though there is no electric or water hookups.

I went over to John’s campsite since he was outside and we agreed to go drive around some of the park areas today. It really turned out good. I had the ranger give me some lookouts and places we should stop to see and we got to all but 2 of them. They were further east and a bit too far for this day’s trip with all the other stops we made to explore and take pictures and just look at the scenery in awe and amazement.

Riverbed Mt. Rainier

There are lots of rivers that look like large rock fields with trees laying all over from washing down during the heavy snow melts and rainstorms. They did have some water or a small river flowing through them. These are really rough rivers when the snow is melting and flowing downstream. The ranger told us that the rocks and sediment are filling the riverbeds which is making the rivers flow differently and sometimes out of their banks. We saw lots of waterfalls, some are permanent falls and lots of them are temporary from melting snow. 

Paradise, Mt. Rainier - 37 degrees

We went up to Paradise area and it was about 37 degrees, cloudy and drizzly, and LOTS of snow. The wildflowers will not be seen there for quite some time. Even though we drove and stopped in several areas with lots of snow, there were wildflowers growing in the rocks, along the road, by waterfalls, and next to paths. They were whites, yellows, pinks, purples, and various shades of all those colors. It was really strange to see snow still high on the side of the mountains and hills, and next to it along the road, vibrant colored wildflowers. There are a few tunnels of rock that go through the mountain, they always amaze me.

Wildflowers along road

The ranger said during his talk that we are in the subalpine area. The only animals I have seen are some deer, chipmunks, and stellar bluejays, which are a bit deeper blue than a regular jay and they have a lot of black on their front upper body.

Because John drove, I was able to just be a passenger and look out the window on the roads which were steep and winding like many of the roads I have driven during the last few weeks. Whenever we saw something we wanted to look at or take a picture of we stopped. You will see some photos on my photo page of waterfalls or rivers that look they are turned sideways, they are not. I am bending over a stone wall or fence railing taking a photo of the water which is below us and flowing horizontal. I’m not sure if the impact of the levels of rock, plant life, etc. shows in the pictures. The drop from the bridge I am standing on is 110 feet down in one spot, and 180 feet down to the water in another spot, same river, just 2 locations about 1/4 mile apart.

180 ft down to river

All along this subalpine drive which I think we drove for about 30 miles or so today, it’s like a tropical rainforest, only vision it with cold temp’s not warm ones. There is so much moisture from the snow, mist, etc. that moss, ferns, flowers, etc. grows everywhere. There are trees both dead and alive that look fuzzy from the moss. It seems in places that it must be an inch or more thick. It’s really hard to put into words the beauty and lush greenery of Mt. Rainier, even with the cold temperatures.

As we finished our driving tour today, it started to rain which was great timing. We drove into a town south of the park for gas and while there found a restaurant named The Wild Berry which had a sign fresh Huckleberry Pie, so we stopped for lunch. It had salads, hamburgers, and of all things Tibetian foods, which I have not experienced yet. They served Yak burgers, Yak steak, etc., but we didn’t try it. So, we shared a lamb gyro, and a stew called Serbo Stew which really tasted good, especially since it was warm and we were cold and damp. The stew had a little meat, dumplings, potatoes, carrots, and a brown gravy with some seasoning that we couldn’t quite identify but think it might have been rosemary or sage. We then shared a piece of Huckleberry pie which was just the right amount and taste to complete the meal.

We also stopped at a little shop to get some firewood since it was less expensive than buying it in the park. The National Parks do not cut the wood from inside the park, they let it stay where it is naturally, so they have to buy wood and have it trucked in for people to buy and use.

Since it’s generator time, I am using it to charge my camera batteries, and my laptop so I can type this update to upload when I get Internet which will most probably be sometime next week. Oh yeah, for those who told me to eat some Rainier Cherries for you… I am… I bought about 2 pounds of them at the store before leaving Seattle.

That’s about it for now… time for a snack and warm beverage, either tea or hot cocoa so I can warm up and turn the generator off before generator curfew. Then about 9 tonight I will go to the ranger program to hear the talk on the various trails in the park, hopefully the rain will stop.

Thursday, July 14th

Another night and day of rain, I’m not sure I believe the ranger that told us it’s the dry season. It’s rained and been cold every day I have been in the park. I drove to Elba, WA which is about 35 or 40 minutes from Mt. Rainier. It’s an interesting LITTLE town. It has a scenic railroad, a hamburger stand and a Hobo Inn which is a group of traincars that are motel rooms. 

Hobo Inn, Elbe, WA

The track is close to the scenic railroad track and next to a church from 1906, that seats 46 people, the church has services once a month with a traveling pastor.

1906 Church, Elbe, WA

Arriving back to the campground in the afternoon, I stayed close to the campsite today, just taking a short drive and hike. On one of the short walks, I saw where the beavers were chewing down trees to build their dams. I didn’t see the beavers, but I could definitely see signs that they were in the area.

I sat by a campfire and ate lunch. More rain again today. Another ranger talk tonight, last night listened to the program sitting under my umbrella in the cold rain and dampness. The ranger tried to start a fire but with the dampness and rain, it did not work.

Back to the camper after the program and under the covers to get warm. I’ve noticed the last few days my fridge has not been getting cold, it’s staying in the just about cool zone on the thermometer. It was working pretty good until I defrosted it, but it was freezing my glasses of water and some food items, so I’m guessing something is not right with it.

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