Day 24 - Saturday 7/23/2005 -  Up to the mountain...

The clouds gave way this morning to one of the clearest days I have seen near Rainier.  Today it's a toss-up between going for a hike or just lounging in the shadow of the mountain - maybe a little of both before the day is out.  It's nice to have a day where we are not breaking camp, so we head up to Sunrise to grab some breakfast.

We got there a little before 9am, and the snackbar did not open until 10 am so we had to relax for a while.  Of all the places to wait for modern conveniences (such as Twinkies), Rainier is the best.  Stretched out on a log bench with the warm sun and a cool breeze fighting over you only makes you want to wait longer.  By the time the snack bar opened, I had a difficult time collecting the energy to get up.

After a quick snack, I went back to the car, and reclined with my feet out the window.  Hunter hiked a short distance up above the Sunrise Visitor Center and took some of the awesome pics below.  Just after what should have been lunchtime, we started off on a hike to the Mt. Fremont lookout tower.  Those who followed the pages last year may remember some of the pics from a hike to Fremont. This year it was clear and we hoped to catch a glimpse of Seattle.

The hike was MUCH easier than last year.  I'm guessing we are both in better shape and have fully adapted to the altitude.  Compared with the hike up Mt. Elbert, this was like hiking at sea level.  When we reached the tower, we had a commanding view of all of the surrounding peaks and valleys.  We were able to spot Northern Cascades NP, but Seattle was behind a cloud.  We caught a snack, and started back.  We reached the car about 5:00 pm and went back to the campsite for dinner.  Beans&franks&hamburger and rice pilaf were the menu.  We polished off everything and went diving for cookies in the food bin.

After dinner we went up for a presentation at the amphitheatre.  They made us sing, and it was a tune bastardized from the "Sound of Music".  Hunter and I resisted the urge to embellish and improve the lyrics.  The only reason we went was because the presentation was by a ranger named "Sierra".  I figured she must be a cute, 23 year-old who was finishing up her masters in Forestry and working summers as a ranger (and maybe weekends as a dancer).  I was devastated - she had a beard.  We went back to the campsite, built a bonfire, and introduced the nearby campers to "Rage Against the Machine".  In the morning we leave for points south.