We lucked out and got a beautiful day for my girlfriends first time out snowshoeing. We thought Paradise would be a good place to start and we were correct. We stuck largely to the groomed areas of the trail, but did venture off for a little bit into some very deep powder, nearly 3 feet. The area was packed with sledders due to it being winter break for the kiddies, but everyone was very respectful. We got a much later start than we were hoping and didn't get to Paradise until nearly 1:00 pm and the parking lot was packed.

Blue Jay day and road to paradise closing tues/wed now we had to go! So glad we did! Michelle had never snowshoed before. I think she's hooked now. It was very windy in the parking lot around 9 am but by 10 it calmed and we decorated 2 trees and posed with pictures, so much fun! We laughed and fell several times. Snow was crusty today. A few people out enjoying the Monday skiing and snowboarding and just taking it all in. This is just be beginning of the season. Let it snow!

After a side trip in thick fog to Myrtle Falls, which was deeply buried but audible, we took the main route straight up towards Nisqually Glacier with everybody else. While we beat most of the day's crowd, the fog remained with us until we were just below Panorama Point. True Tahomaphiles, we gloried in our only complete mountain view of the weekend, and counted ourselves lucky. Paradise Lodge is still closed, but we enjoyed the new Jackson Visitor Center, with my grandfather's photo in the memorabilia slide show (CCC baseball team). In the evening we stopped for foxes crossing the road. They are clearly habituated here, and many are radio collared, but they will go about their business appropriately if we can resist the urge to feed them or otherwise interfere. What a special opportunity it is to see them in their natural habitat.

Finally, good snow in the mountains. On this final day of the year and the weather looking pretty good for Mt Rainier, we picked Paradise for our year end snow shoe hike. The one drawback was the 3 hour drive each way. We reached Longmire, just as the traffic was allowed up the mountain. We arrived at Paradise at 11 am, as one of the first 5 vehicles. We were told the gates at Longmire would close at 6 pm. Note: we were required to carry chains past Longmire, even though we drive a Subaru, with it’s all wheel drive. This was our first snowshoe hike in Mt Rainier. With the day partly clear, we snow shoed up the mountain to the Glacier Vista, gaining a total of 1200 feet in a 2.5 mile round trip. The vista looks up at Nisqually Glacier, and likewise down the Nisqually Valley. Views also included Mount Adams and Mt Saint Helens. Paradise provides many other snow shoe hikes. Animal sightings: as we entered the park, we stopped for a couple deer as they crossed the road. After leaving Paradise and reaching Narada Falls, we saw our first fox in the wild. The fox crossed the road then walked along the side looking at us. This fox may have been expecting a handout.

Talk about starting the New Year off right (I can't imagine how many other trip reports will be starting with a variation on that theme). Whilst the revellers still slept, I was loading my gear into the car and setting off for Mount Rainier. On the long drive down, the sun rose, revealing crystal-clear skies. What a day, what a day! By the time I arrived at the parking lot, there were already tons of cars there. People were everywhere. Most were headed over to the snow play area with there kids (oh, to be a kid again!), but plently of folks were headed out in various directions with shoeshoes or skies. I point myself N-NW, toward the headwall of the Edith Creek valley. My original plan was to head over to Mazama Ridge. This is the second time I've been up to Paradise to snowshoe, the second time I planned to do Mazama ridge, and the second time I failed. This time I got distracted by the possiblity of heading up to Golden Gate, a possibility I decided to explore. It was quite a steep climb to get up there, but well worth it. I would say that the views were fantastic, but when you are in the Paradise area, the view are ALWAYS fantastic. There was also a bit of solitude to be found there, a nice thing given the hoards of people everywhere else. From Golden Gate, I considered staying high and making my way around towards Panarama Point, but decided to drop back down into the valley and maybe head again towards Mazama Ridge. Unfortunately, my little detour cost me valuable time, and by the time I was in position to head to Mazama ridge, I decided that I wasn't really left with enough time to explore it properly. So, instead I crossed over to the west side of the Edith creek and climbed up to Glacier Vista. I spent a good amount of time roaming the Glacier Vista/Panarama Point area, trying not to step on other snowshoers. It was thick with people up there. Not a place to go if you want to be alone, at least not on a sunny, holiday weekend! But the views were spectacular, and the ability to roam freely in any direction was to be enjoyed; it almost feels clastrophobic in the summer when you are stuck having to follow the trails. In all, a lovely day and (yes, I'll say it again) a perfect start to the New Year!