jstanley
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Paradise Inn to the John Muir Base Camp on Mt. Rainier - 2006/05/04 10:36
Mt. Rainier is an amazing place with a multitude of trails to choose from, but if you don't take the day hike up to the base camp you're doing yourself a disservice. Bring plenty of water, food, sunscreen, and warm clothes. Oh, and a large, plastic garbage bag (you’ll see!)
Hikers start out at Paradise Inn (5,400 ft) surrounded by Rainier's famed wildflowers and (more than likely) crowds of tourists. On the Skyline Trail you’ll ascend up through the emerald sub-alpine meadows past waterfalls and perhaps, in shaded areas, a few remnants of snow pack. Soon, you’ll be above the tree line in a rocky, windswept region between the Muir snowfield and the valleys below. Marmots and other small creatures abound in this seemingly lifeless expanse. Don’t forget to turn around and get a fine view of the visitor center and the meadows below.
And then, the snowfields. As you trudge up the well-worn snow paths, you’ll begin to hear the eerie rumblings and cracks of Rainier’s glaciers. In places, the snow is tainted pink from an algae that grows there, the color of the inside of a watermelon. The trail gets steeper and the going gets tougher…but look at it this way…by this point you’ve pretty much gotten rid of all but the most die-hard tourists!
Camp Muir is located on a rocky outcrop at just over 10,000 ft. There’s a small ranger station, a rustic hiker shelter and some primitive privies. After you rest up (you’ll need it), take in the views! From up here you can see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and the mountain ranges scattered all around you.
Remember that plastic garbage bag? When you’re ready to head back down, why walk when you can travel in style? Long trails have already been carved in the snow where previous hikers have slid back down the mountain, some even bring sleds or skis up with them. It’s a bit like your own private luge run. Make sure you wave to the breathless hikers that are still working their way up as you go flying past.
Once you get back to the rocky areas it’s a nice easy downhill hike back to Paradise Inn and a nice cold one at the bar.
You can find an NPS map of the hike here: http://www.nps.gov/mora/general/maps/mapcompass.pdf
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