Mt. Rainier

Once again, we lucked out and had absolutely perfect weather! Mike and I drove into Mt. Rainier national park today. The mountain/volcano makes it's own weather (clouds,etc) due to the glaciers on the top so we were lucky to have a spectacular sunny day. Not long after we left the campsite, I realized that we forgot our camera. We kept going though. On the way, we passed through Packwood, where a HUGE flea market sale was going on for labor day. I mean, tents were everywhere...the entire length of the town it seemed. I would have loved to stop but it would have taken up the rest of the afternoon. As soon as we reached the gate to the park, I decided that I had to have a camera so we stopped and bought a disposable. I guess the photo posts will have to come later. Mt. Rainier was amazing. We took a short hike from the Paradise visitor center and on the way out we passed a ranger. He said that we were lucky because this was their most popular trail but today he saw only one other couple out there. Yippee! No crowds! The view through the binoculars was awesome. Just as we left the viewpoint, we heard a loud cracking noise and rushed back to see if we could see some ice cleave off or a rock fall. There was no difference. It was probably just the glacier moving. Once again, we could have spent more time here but our reservations urge us on. I made reservations through Labor day so that we would have somewhere to camp on this busy weekend. After labor day, we have no reservations and will no longer plan so far in advance. Tomorrow is Mt. St. Helens.