National Park snowshoe so no Black Dog today. Early start leaving Renton giving us time for coffee in Ashford (much needed!) and a place near the front of the line for the 9:00 am gate opening. Ranger checking for chains as expected and we were so ready with 4wd, high clearance and chains... turned out none of it was needed today, but better ready than unprepared. Several who were not were turned away. The plan was to snowshoe Reflection and Louise Lakes leaving from the Narada Falls parking lot. The only thing lacking for the plan to succeed was snow! Just a dusting at that elevation (about 4,500 feet) so we continued on to the Paradise lower lot to activate plan "B" which was Glacier Visa. What a difference a few hundred feet can make! A glorious day playing in the snow! In spite of an overall thin snowpack (see photo of sign and outline of big rocks which should be fully covered) of about 40" we were told, there was about 6 to 10 inches of new powder on top of the somewhat thin, but consolidated base. Nice conditions for snowshoeing not to mention BC skiing and boarding. And did I mention the sunshine and mild conditions? Clearly our leader and organizer Dave has weather karma! After a full morning of tramping around in the snow and a nice lunch break at an exceptionally scenic spot overlooking the Nisqually Glacier, we made our way slowly back to the cars. We were pretty surprised that the crowds were so light. Not exactly a day of solitude, but if you stayed off the Skyline Trail as we did, plenty of space to play. The road to Paradise was a little slick in the morning, but merely wet on the trip down. As we know however, all that can change fast. The only slight downer was slogging back North through heavy traffic. On Saturday, really? Anyway, a lot of driving, but well worth it!

Snow was falling while I was up there. The clouds opened up near the apex of the journey. There were a number of groups gathered near the summit of the trail waiting to go up. There has not been much snow this year (2014) so the number of snow shoeing locations is rather small. Great shoe overall.

It was a sunny and clear weekend perfect for snowshoeing. From Mill Creek, it took us about 3 hours to reach Mt. Rainier National Park. At the gate, you are able to purchase a day pass or annual pass. There was only one ranger stationed this Saturday morning, but the line was quick. Due to icy conditions 2WD vehicles are required to have chains on while 4WD vehicles just needed to have chains available in the car. Road up to Paradise Lodge parking lot was well plowed. At 10:45 am we reached the parking lot. It was about 1/2 to 3/4 full. On our way out around 2pm the lot was packed with people waiting for parking spots to open up. Plenty of restrooms available just before you begin your climb up or at the really nice visitor's center where they also have a small cafeteria and gift shop. Originally our plan was to make it up to Panorama Point, but the ranger at the parking lot told us to reconsider due to avalanche danger and ice. We followed the paths made by all the snowshoe-ers before us. It was a very easy trip up to Glacier Vista. There were clear, beautiful views of Rainier, Helens, and Adams. It got pretty gusty up there a few times, but only for a few seconds. After a bit more exploring, we made it back down to the and wandered around the visitor's center before heading home. Gates close at 5 pm. All in all, an easy snowshoe with stunning views well worth the drive. For more photos and text of me blabbing please visit my blog: http://analonthetrail.blogspot.com/2014/01/rainier-glacier-vista-snowshoe.html

It truly was a day in Paradise this - well - day at Paradise. I only logged a bit over three miles and 1000 elev gain. Most of the action was in my (camera) trigger finger, I think. Conditions: firm not-quite-breakable crust in the shade and a bit "gloppy" and slushy in the sun. I made it half way up Panorama Point, but being careful of a wrenched knee or something, did the prudent thing and rather than risk twisting it during the sloppy snow ascent, I wandered over to some snow-bedecked trees. This was heaven on earth - or Paradise indeed.

We headed up to Paradise on a very gray Seattle morning and found abundant sunshine and blue skies. The road was a little icy in places on the way up (arrived at Paradise parking lot a little after 10 a.m.) but just bare and wet on the way down in the afternoon. This was the first snowshoe trip for my friends and I, and it was so much fun! We headed up (northwest from visitor center) around the sledding area following one of several pretty obvious, wanded trails in the general direction of Glacier Vista. Eventually we joined up with part of the Alta Vista trail, then decided to do the very steep uphill to Panorama Point. If you go up to Panorama Pt, your calves will thank you for using snowshoes with a heel lift. The snow cover is deceptive, everything looks closer and less steep than it really is, but the view is worth the effort. The air was so clear we could see all the way to Mt. Hood! And sliding down is a hoot--just be sure to watch out for other snowshoers and skiers headed up. On our way down we passed the crowded sledding area and decided to take a little side trip east on the Skyline trail before returning to the car. The snow was much more crunchy/compact on the trail in this direction... and fortunately not quite as good for making snowballs as one of my friends had hoped. :) If there's sun in the forecast, get on out and play!