...so once at the visitor's center we were told a compass was a must on a day with such low visibility. And despite being the, ahem, novice hikers that we are, we had no compass. So we contemplated our doom and death while waiting for the gift shop to open so we could buy one, lol.
After getting a compass (which we had ironically just been taught how to use the day before during our education day!) and our maps, we were on our way, with the mission of making it to camp and not dying...here we are geared up and looking tough, ha ha...
Our adventure began quite magically, along the Skyline trail through what we referred to as the enchanted forest. It was ridiculously adorable, lol...perfect little trees, creeks, colorful wildflowers...we definitely felt like the dwarfs from Snow White, just marching through the trees...
After a steep but pleasant mile of that, the snow/rain began to fall and there was a definite transition as it became more rocky and the fog thickened even more. We had reached the end of the constructed trail and started layering up for the snow fields ahead. The visibility at this point was not good at all...we couldn't see any of the surrounding mountains or river that we knew were all around us. And though we were on it, we definitely couldn't see Rainier. This first pic is the view behind us, stunning, eh??
We had made a pact not to be stupid on this hike, so we seriously considered how far we should continue. We got out our compass and started following the bearings on the map. Despite the crummy conditions, we were thankfully not alone in our mission, and we piggy backed up the next chunk of mountain with several other groups of hikers who were within sight at all times.
This was my first time hiking in snow, which adds a challenging new dimension, ha ha. Here we are continuing up, through the falling snow (which btw, was AMAZING! I felt so at home to be surrounded by the white stuff and cool temps, ha ha) Notice how far ahead you can't see....
At this point the "trail" started getting really steep. Easily a 45 degree angle in most places, basically for the rest of the way up. After passing a couple of hikers on their way down who said they decided to stop at 9,000 ft because of weather, we seriously thought about how smart we were being...but then 2 different guided groups of hikers came by, with guides who had done the climb hundreds of times, we felt confident about not losing the trail (or falling in a crevasse!) as long as we kept them in sight...you can see a line of them ahead here...
That picture, as well as these next ones, pretty much sum up the last mile or so of the hike!...
We had plenty of warm clothes, snacks, and water, but it was extremely slow going due to the rapid elevation gain, slippery/steep ground, falling snow, and exhaustion :) At this point we knew we'd make it to the top safely, it was just a matter of putting one foot ahead of the next. No joke it was step, breathe, step, breathe...keep in mind, had it been a clear day, there would have been amazing views all around us, and of course the peak ahead of us, guiding the way!...(but we later decided it was probably best not to be able to see more than 100 ft ahead or behind, simply because we'd have been taking so many pictures and never reached the top! ha ha).
It was pretty exciting when we got word from a fellow hiker that the camp was only 300 ft or so ahead! But honestly, that last leg was the hardest. We were moving so slowly...and I was feeling pretty woozy, perhaps from the elevation?? At one point we could even hear rushing water underneath the snow, and saw the flags marking crevasses on either sides of us, which was quite eery...but on the upside, the sun was slowly starting to light up the clouds overhead, and with each step we'd catch the faint edge of a ridge to our right or left, and then eventually the structures of Camp Muir became visible...
Reaching camp was the most incredible feeling ever!!!! And our timing was impeccable, as the sun came out to welcome us to the top!! VICTORY!!!...here we are at Camp Muir celebrating with our orange flag, eating lunch, admiring our view ABOVE the clouds, Mt. Hood visible from afar...
Now normally the hike down from any height is considerably less exciting than the way up...but that was not the case here!! We had heard about people who took 4 or 5 hours to hike up, then slid down in about 15 minutes! ha ha! So we had brought extra coats and garbage bags to test this idea :) Again our timing for the reaching camp was perfect, because by the time we started to descend it was fogged over again, and visibility was actually at it's lowest point for us, maybe only 50 ft?? But regardless of not knowing what lay ahead in the mysterious abyss of fog/myst/snow, there was constant laughing and screaming on the way down!...using the 'butt paths' paved by hikers before us, we slid down on our plastic bags, or skied down using our feet. The ski method was actually my favorite! I have only been once as a child, but I have a feeling it might be my next hobby :) It was so much fun!!! Sliding down on my butt was fun, too, but a bit more painful and numbing, lol. Check it out...
Sooooo.....after slipping and sliding down in considerably less time than it took to get up, lol, we once again reached the actual trail, and our jaws dropped as we saw the fog slowly lifting and we caught our first taste of the views we'd missed on the way up...from this point on I took about 100 pictures!! Each step was more and more beautiful, and at times I was literally frozen in awe...my body was starting to hurt, my legs shaking, and boots rubbing in the wrong places, but I dragged that last mile and a half of the hike out so long cause I couldn't turn my camera off...so here's a small sampling! I know, I know, I've already posted so many pictures, ha ha...
And back at the bottom at last....a rainbow over the visitor's center, and our "we're still alive!!" shot!! :)
Ironically on our drive out of the park we caught our first glimpse of Rainier, lol...
So yeah. Best day of my life :) And it ended with a stop at Dairy Queen (yes!!!) then a 2.5 hour drive back to Seattle. Looking back we could not believe where the day had taken us, and how amazing it was...I am seriously addicted, and want to climb mountains for the rest of my life! It was beyond words....I can't stop replaying it in my mind, and thinking about all the other glorious sights to be discovered out there on our beautiful planet!!!
Now if this post weren't long enough already, I'll just add a few more things, lol...perhaps the best part of this whole story is that on TUESDAY I am leaving for 10 more days on Rainier!!! My EC crew will be camping and building a trail on the other side of the mountain, so you can expect a million more pictures and incredible hike stories when I return!! I won't have internet up there (duh!) nor is there cell reception...so you won't hear from me, but know that I am having a blast living with the trees! I'll be back Sept. 12.
And for one final story....I came home exhausted last night, only to be awoken at 1:30 am by a FIREMAN pounding on my door and coming into my bedroom!! Yes!! He comes right in saying "there is a fire in the building, there's CO2 in the building"...so I go outside in my pjs to see all my roomies outside, as well as 2 firetrucks and fireman everywhere!! Apparently there was a fire in the lower unit of my house! A few minutes later they said we could go back to our rooms, and they tested the CO2 levels right at the safe threshold (not very comforting!) so we opened all our windows and turned on fans until the levels went down, and I was back to bed. It was so weird....and scary that none of the detectors in our house went off!!!
Okay, so that's it. Happy September to all! LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
