Mountain Hike with Outdoor Rec

It was the kind of morning that you only get a couple of times in fall at PNW: crisp fresh air, not a cloud in the sky, quiet. At 7:30 AM on Saturday, PLU campus was sleeping, but not us, ten students and two trip leaders, going to see the mountain.

Mount Rainier, the subject of joy and pride for many Washingtonians, was awaiting us a two-hour drive away, in Mount Rainier National Park. We stocked up on snacks from Outdoor Rec and jumped in the van, eager to start the hike. When we arrived at the national park, the parking lot was so full that we had to add an extra mile to our hike — the van had to be parked way down the hill. Nothing could bring our spirits down though, and once we stepped into the forestry trail, the world outside of it stopped to exist for us.

Twenty minutes into the Skyline Trail, we had to make a stop to be fascinated by nonchalant marmots hanging out in the warm sun and chipmunks determined to see whether we had any snacks for them. There were pockets of cool morning air leftover in the shady parts, but the day promised to be nice and warm.

As we were slowly making our way up the hills, fighting the elevation, the greenery lessened and unending rocky valleys surrounded us on all sides. With every hill we endeavored, Mount Rainier got closer to us.

At some point, there was nothing but the mountain and deep blue sky behind it. It was us and the mountain… and the whole world beneath us. Around two miles in and 1700 feet up, we got to Panorama Point where we had our lunches with views of the Tatoosh Range and Mounts St. Helens and Adams.

It was a strenuous hike up but it was 100% worth it. On our way down, we took a different route and enjoyed views of the valleys and Myrtle Falls with Mount Rainier in the background. Some of us even got to touch the snow from the slowly melting mound by our trail. We got back on campus in the evening, happy and tired from the hike and big emotions it gave us.