I'm trying to do more overnight trips this year so this was my second snowshoe trip in two weeks. I went to Paradise the week before as well but only spent one night there and felt I needed to spend more time so I came back. This time I spent two nights. I only went about a mile from the parking lot but found a nice spot to set up the tent up on a hill. (Just a quick note that the snowshoe path was fairly nice on Saturday leading away from the Paradise parking lot but by Monday it was a myriad of postholes.) Visibility was near zero but I have an adversity to "nice" weather for some reason so I thought it was great. The temperature that night dropped down into the mid-twenties and there was a mix of snow/freezing rain and few strong winds gusts that shook the tent as if Bigfoot was shaking it. The tent was so dug in it wasn't going anywhere. In fact, the tent was actually frozen into the landscape due to the freezing rain which made for a lot of fun digging the snow stakes up the next day. I moved camp to get a view of the Tatoosh Range that popped into sight but it wasn't very far from where I was originally. That night the temperature hit eighteen degrees with snow/freezing rain again but very little wind. I woke up to fox tracks leading up to and away from the tent (bear canisters are required for a reason!). I was a bit sad that I missed it. That morning the sky was totally clear and Mt. Rainier was visible for the first time this trip (and last trip for that matter) which I guess was sign that it was time for me to leave...

Finally!!!! There is SNOW at RAINIER!!!! And we had the mountain basically to ourselves after about 1/4 mile in as everyone else seemed to be otherwise engaged on this Superbowl Sunday. I wonder why. Though the mist rolled in right around lunch to occlude the mountain, the powdery paradise beneath us made up for limited views. As the sun and wind fought valiantly to reveal wily Tahoma, we were treated to a landscape of shifting cloud, light, blue, and white that mesmerized and entranced us (as well as challenging our routefinding abilities!). Pics are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/51278183@N05/sets/72157640435970656/.

Not even the crowds or the lack of snow could mar the splendor of this New Year’s Day at Mt. Rainier. The first glorious view of Tahoma replaced the cloak of dreary, grey fog with a tapestry of stunning vistas set against a cobalt sky, drenched with the scent of sun-warmed alpine evergreens. It doesn’t get much better than this! Pics of this magnificent day (and our glory-induced giddiness) are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51278183@N05/sets/72157639301967823/. The gate to Paradise is now open daily (conditions permitting) from 9-5. The lot was already ¾ full when we arrived at 10:30. The road was snow-free, though everyone is required to carry chains. There was about an inch of quickly-melting fresh snow on top of a somewhat alarmingly shallow and icy base. We used snowshoes, and they helped on slopes, but boots alone did not sink in (even jumping), so compacted is the little snow that’s here. Many rocks I’ve never seen above snow after November are visible and the trees virtually snow-free. The way up Edith Creek Basin, down via Skyline Trail are tracked to make a superhighway even I could not miss. I think it was partly so crowded because a lot of people who would have been skiing came to Paradise instead. There were a few crazy souls skiing and snowboarding. The scrape as they gathered speed FAST over ice made me mentally chant, “Don’t fall! Do not fall!!!!” Many hikers went to Panorama Point, some glissading on the way down (a couple on the way up by accident, too).

I post this report to remind everyone how quickly weather can move in on the mountain. The shots below represent a difference of about 15 minutes. Luckily, today brought only shifting clouds (not snow), and we found our way back down without incident (not to mention getting some awesome shots! See: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51278183@N05/sets/72157632529304927/). But check the weather and be prepared! We hiked up Edith Creek Basin and got 2/3 of the way up the last, steep hill below Panorama Point when the clouds came in and compromised both visibility and our balance. Traversing a steep slope with nothing visible but the snow beneath you and swirling clouds around you is very dizzying. While I found this immensely fun, my husband did not. He's smarter about these things, so we headed down. It actually got so hard to see we decided to go back the same way as it's a broader track. It turned out being fine, and we had no troubles, but I suppose better safe than sorry. As compensation, he let me sled a lot when we got back to the parking lot.

Took advantage of the only nice day we've had for a few weeks. Didn't expect that much wind at Paradise, but I survived. It was SUPER WINDY, most I have ever encountered. Did a nice loop today didn't make it to the top of Panorama Point but that's okay, there's always another trip around the corner for me. There's lots of new snow up here and it's nice and powdery. Made for cool snow patterns everywhere with the windy. Had issues with my snow shoes for the first time coming down, luckly I was almost to the parking lot. Dang straps wouldn't stay tight, they might be going back to REI. Besides that just another beautiful day in Paradise.

My wife, kids, and I headed up to Paradise for some sledding, and a little snowshoeing. The mountains had just gotten so much snow that the sledding runs were pretty rough when we got there - so we opted for a snowshoe walk instead. We headed up past the bathrooms towards Edith Creek Basin - though we didn't really go that far. We found a spot in the hillside overlooking Paradise Valley, dug out a sofa in the snow for ourselves, and sat back and watched all sorts of skiers and snowshoers far below. The cocoa and snacks were great! We turned around in time to watch a great, pink sunset as we tromped back to the car. Lots of fun in lots of powder. Walked less than a mile in 90 minutes or so.