The Park opened late-- we showed up on time hoping to snowshoe close to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground but with the park not opening until after 11:30am we set a turnaround time of 2pm, knowing we wouldn't even get close. We were the first on this trail since a significant snowfall. I stepped from the road into the snow where the sign for the "Viewpoint" is and immediately fell up to my waist in snow and had to swim my way out. Yup. We tried again in our snowshoes with far more success. It was typical to sink at least 12" into the snow and often up to our knees even in snowshoes. We broke trail through the widest gap in the trees. We cleared snow from many bent-over trees across the trail so they could pop back upright. Some of the trees were definitely "down", requiring detours or climbing around. We reached the crossing of Kautz Creek a bit after 1pm, slow going of about a mile/hour for us in these conditions. The stream crossing looked very annoying--- lots of snow over huge boulders and logs-- so we decided to call it "lunch" and turn around from here. Branches were falling from trees and snow fell all around us. We'd recommend waterproof jackets. Two couples were hiking in to camp. We aren't sure if that was a good idea with the falling branches, but we didn't say anything other than that we'd cleared the trail for them.

A more detailed trip report of this adventure can be found at the link below. The Kautz Creek Snowshoe is a bit of a slog as you hike for more than 6 miles before getting any real views. Once you reach an elevation of 5000 ft or so, though, a gorgeous vista reveals itself. This section of Mount Rainier National Park is a beautiful winter wonderland, and I'd love to come back for an overnight and explore Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. We started from the Kautz Creek parking lot around 9:15am and were back at the car around 7 hours later. There's a link to the GPS map of our route below.

What a great day to be out at Rainier. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We went a bit further than the guide here states and scrambled a couple unnamed peaks on the west side of the gully from Satulick Mountain. Great views of peaks to the east and even Rainier itself. The lower half was visible under the clouds. The trail is fairly straightforward for the first 2-3 miles, and snowshoes are not needed. The creek crossing can be slick, FYI. After roughly 3 miles, we strapped on the snowshoes and ascended the rest of the way. Current conditions are a mix of deeper powder and crunchy crust from the last melt. The top provides excellent snow conditions. Take note: there are absolutely no views until you get all the way up to the 5,000 foot mark on the ridge that traverses north toward Mount Ararat. You have to work a little to get them. According to my watch, we gained about 3,500 feet, including the two unnamed peaks, but the views are amazing from up there, and well worth the trek. Rainier opens up, as does the valley and the Tatoosh Range. Fantastic peaks to gaze upon. We only saw one other hiker the whole day, which surprised me a bit considering how incredible this area is. I definitely could see trekking in for an overnight and climbing Iron Mountain and Copper Mountain.

Multiple powerful forces converged together, leaving me no choice but to find myself at the Kautz Creek Trailhead at 5:50 am Monday. (Below-normal snowpack; last week’s snow-melting pineapple express; the forecast of sunny skies and 60 degrees; and a day off work for me. Who am I to argue with the universe?) Donning a headlamp, I headed up the trail under a moonless sky, figuring that the sun would come up around the time I hit snow and the trail got sketchy. I was very wrong. On this trail on February 16th, there is zero snow or ice until the 4800’ mark. Great for me – Bad for skiers and Yeti. 4800’ is about where most of the climbing eases up. I wore crampons and would advise traction devices to anyone going further. (I suppose if you’re up this far this time of year you probably know what you’re doing, so never mind my advice.) There were a few footprints leading the way through a few ups and downs, until the first good view – a bump just to the right of the trail around 5000’. From there the footprints are less obvious, but the route is pretty clear anyway: You head straight for Mt. Ararat, then begin angling up the right side of it. Before long you reach a high point. The route to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground (best alpine meadow name ever) goes up and down below some cliffs, straight toward the Big Show. I chose to take a left and head up the southwest slope of Ararat. It was a little steeper than I had gathered from the map, but with crampons and ski poles it was ok. The top of Ararat is very nice, with broad views toward Rainier, as well as Adams, St. Helens, and even Hood today. I think the view from the patrol cabin makes the mountain look a little small. On Ararat, you get a bigger scale. From there it’s a simple descent down snowy slopes and into the Hunting Ground. I sat on the porch of the cabin for a bit, contemplating deep thoughts – Like how Cadbury Caramel Eggs are not as good when they are half frozen from being in my pack. Should have warmed them in my pants. I headed back before the snow got too soft, so there was no need for my under-utilized snowshoes. Beautiful day enjoying what is normally a midsummer classic hike. I feel like I stole one. This is payback for the last time the “30% chance of showers” summer forecast really meant “You will not have a dry spot on your body for three days." “Map my Hike” says I burned 4400 calories – roughly the same amount I have been consuming every Sunday watching the Seahawks, so its pretty much a wash..

2015 greeted us with a perfect bluebird day, so we had to take advantage of it. A friend and I decided on a snowshoe hike at Mount Rainier National Park. We had initially planned to do the Reflection and Louise Lakes trail, but the ranger at the Nisqually entrance informed us that the road to Paradise was very icy in sections and we didn't have snow chains. Apparently, all vehicles (including all wheel drive vehicles) are required to have chains past Longmire. There are checkpoints throughout the park where you will be turned around and potentially fined for not having them, so beware! I had assumed that there was an exception for all wheel drive vehicles, but no such luck. A few miles inside the park, the Longmire General Store sells snow chains, but due to the holiday, the park had a lot of visitors also looking to buy chains. They were out of many sizes, including ones that would fit my Subaru. So make sure to remember your snow chains if you're going past Longmire! You can also rent them at Whittaker's near the Nisqually entrance if you don't want to buy them. We quickly changed our plans and decided instead to do the Kautz Creek snowshoe which is maybe a mile from Longmire heading back toward the park entrance. You'll find a designated parking area for the trail with restrooms. Cross the road and follow the signs for the trailhead. We had a late start in the morning, so we didn't start hiking until about 11:30. The first mile of trail is easy going with intermittent snow. We carried our snowshoes at first, but needed them at about 2.5 miles in when the snow gets much deeper. As the temperature warmed throughout the day, snow in the trees began to melt and it felt like it was raining on us at times. We wound up getting soaked, so I recommend bringing a goretex layer and maybe even a change of clothes for the car ride home. The trail is quite a workout with its steep switchbacks and heavy snow. We were't tracking our mileage, but we think we went approximately 3.5 miles from the trailhead making for a roundtrip hike of 7 miles. We really wanted to get to the 4 miles mark to catch a view of Rainier, but we were both feeling tired from the continuous climbing. We also wanted to allow for enough time to get back to the car in the daylight. We found a little clearing to have a late lunch where we could gaze upon beautiful snow-covered hills and trees. After lunch we headed back down, leaving our snowshoes on most of the way for added traction. Although this was not our first choice today, we were not disappointed. The blanket of snow made the surroundings simply magical. Our only regret is that we didn't start this hike earlier in the day so we could've seen the amazing views that appear around mile 4. We'll be back! What a great way to start the new year.