biobabbler: Mount Rainier Mumday--interpreted

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Mount Rainier Mumday--interpreted

Per my tradition, here's Mumday annotated:

RAMROD = Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day

Over 10,000 feet of climbing in over 150 miles

In-SANE!

This is a shot of the water and potty stop just as the cyclists summit the Paradise climb. I went to Mt. Rainier this time 'cause a friend got his name pulled out of the proverbial hat so was in the ride. A TOTALLY over-the-top tough bike ride.

Anyhow, it was fun seeing all these (mostly) guys in their cartoonish jerseys with this HUGE GIANT LOOMING mountain dwarfing EVERYone. We were definitely there at the Mountain's (her Majesty's) pleasure. If it decided to blow that day, we'd be indetectably small detritus. Mt. Rainier freaks me out that way.

So, while my friend biked 150 miles and 10,000 feet, I traipsed around Paradise (exceedingly well-named, in-SANEly beautiful). This is along the Skyline Trail, just before I missed my right turn to get to Paradise Glacier, my initial goal.

This is a view up the valley I SHOULD have been hiking up, little did I know at the time, but as it turns out my mistake meant I got to cross this charming bridge and continue along an over-the-top scenic trail...

Like this view of the Tatoosh Range--SO in love with these mountains. Miss them terribly. They are so dark and look SO GREAT with snow on them. Hubba-hubba.

Loved the snowbank covering the trail (the park apparently had most of its precipitation in the form of snow in March, so their spring was protracted) and the crowd of wildflowers, JUST out from under the snow, blooming their heads off.

The next day we all hung out and I made a butter-packet-involved-dessert (always a sign of tastiness) which took most the day. Nice, mellow day.

One day later, we drove to Sunrise, which is in the eastern part of the park, and is much drier, where I took this photograph, a living example of "luctor et emergo."