Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Mt Rainier, 1/25/09, 3 miles, 500 elevation

There are few things better in this world than sharing an outdoor adventure with your friends. We were able to do this recently on Mt Rainier at Paradise. In the summer, the meadows above Paradise become a calliope of color as wildflowers fill the scenery. When winter comes, snows blanket the meadows in a thick carpet of white. Trails become irrelevant as seems time when you're wandering through the snow.

I was practicing my leadership skills as I explained to our group the route we'd take through the meadows and trees and then started off up the hill. Flurries obscured most of our views throughout the day, but added an air of mystery and fun. We roamed up the hill and down another direction, followed the winter nature trail and fox prints as the snows became heavier.

Finally we made our way back to the visitor center and some semblance of warmth to laugh about and share our adventures. We didn't wait long before heading back down the mountain because we knew that blackberry pie awaited us at the Copper Creek Inn.