the mountain is out

And by mountain, I could only be referring to Mt. Rainier. And actually the mountain isn't out today and hasn't been for quite a while thanks to all the haze and smoke from the wildfires in our corner of the country. But when Mt. Rainier is out on on those clear blue sky days, that's what you say. I have loved living with this stunning fixture on our horizon and some of the best unobstructed views are from the Army base. But it's a fickle mountain, and even on sunny days in our neighborhood, the mountain has it's own weather system and is often hidden. So when you hear people comment "the moutain is out", you know the weather is especially good that day! 

(the view from the commissary) 

(the view from our neighborhood) 

Shamefully, even though we've been out here for four years, I have only made the trip to explore the National Park one other time with T.J. and Tommy back in June. It's about an hour and half drive to the park entrance and then another half an hour up the mountain to Paradise and the visitor center so we often talk ourselves out of making the trek. Plus there are those unpredictable weather factors to consider. When we went back in June there were still buckets of snow up there which made hiking with Tommy a bit treacherous and you actually couldn't see the mountain even though we were standing on the mountain... but we ended up winding back down and pulling over at one of the many trailheads along the way instead which was still worth it.
When my parents came out last month we decided to make the trip with them so they could experience it up close and personal and I was excited to go up there again on a clearer day for better look myself. We brought a picnic lunch which we enjoyed at the Paradise visitor center before setting off on our hike.
It was definitely a lot hotter than our visit back in June, and there were quite a bit more mosquitos, but the view of the snow covered peak, and the lush meadow of wildflowers is unrivaled. Weighted down with my one year old, I was aware of just how out of shape I am but we hung in there for a mile or so up the trail before turning around, though my dad carried on a bit further until he reached the snowpack.  
Tommy was my sweaty little trooper and happily hung out on my back, even dozing off on the hike down. But before heading home we made one more stop at Reflection Lake, which, at the right time of day, reflects the image of the mountain. 
Tommy fully zonked out once we were back in the car and we spent the ride home marveling over our day on the mountain and scrolling through pictures that will never be able to fully do justice to the Lord's magnificent creation! 

Comments

  1. The photos are breathtaking. I can't even imagine what it looks like in person. Tommy is ADORABLE!! The photos will be treasured for many lifetimes!

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  2. Thanks for making the trek up 'my' mountain with me : ) Such a great day!

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