January 15-16, 2021
For my birthday this year Andy rented a cabin in Ashford so we could enjoy a long weekend snowshoeing on Mt. Rainier.
We arrived on Friday and since it was a weekday afternoon the parking lots were nearly empty. We first stopped at Narada Falls. You can see the waterfall from the parking lot. There's a short trail that takes you to this view:
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| Narada Falls |
There didn't appear to be a well-traveled trail past the falls, so we decided to turn back.
Our plan was to snowshoe up to Panorama Point on Saturday, but since we had time to kill before check-in we drove up to Paradise and did some recon. We took the Golden Gate trail which is the opposite way we typically head up. It was still sunny so we decided to stop for lunch. Andy brought his shovel and dug us a great snow bench.
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| Hot tomato soup, sandwich, and beer |
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| Friday lunch view |
With the incoming clouds and several folks informing us of low visibility farther up we decided to finish our lunch and head out. It was almost time to check in to the cabin anyways.
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| Clouds rolling in |
Because our cabin was so close to the park we were up and snowshoeing by 10 am the next day. We couldn't have been more fortunate with the weather. I think Mt. Rainier is one of the most beautiful places to be in nature it's always a bonus when you get to enjoy it with friends.
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| Baby lenticular clouds |
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| Lunch spot view of Mt. Rainier |
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| Buds |
It looked like the conditions up to Panorama Point were favorable because everyone was heading straight up and there was a lot less zig-zagging trails compared to the last time we went (super scary). We didn't make it all the way up this time around, but actually our lunch spot was pretty much the same view as you would have had up there. Overall it was a lovely birthday weekend and a much needed getaway.