We finally got out for a day of snowshoeing while the skies were blue. We were not the only ones at Paradise on Mt Rainier, but there was plenty of room for all. For the most part we took the paths less traveled and even found some patches of snow to put down new tracks. Wonderful day!
Notes: A quick note on the road thru the park. It's mostly clean and dry, but there remain a few icy patches. Just be careful. The main trails were firmly beaten down and could be navigated without snowshoes. Off trail it was crusty, older snow, but relatively firm underneath. Avalanche danger was low and will probably remain that way until we get a fresh dump of new snow. There were a couple of older debris fields, the largest one being on the east side of Alta Vista point down into the Edith Creek valley.
Route: We started up the Skyline Trail but soon wandered off to the west and followed the tree line along the Nisqually Glacier valley. It was chilly in the morning. As we got higher, and the slopes were more open, the wind could be quite cold. We found a nice tree protected spot above Alta Vista point for lunch before continuing up to Glacier View. There was a line of people climbing higher still, heading for Panorama Point. Instead of following them we cut to the East down what the map labeled as the "Edith Creek Ski Route," which took us down into the upper creek valley and to the Golden Gate Trail. We crossed the bridge over Myrtle Falls and then back to the parking lot. Alltrails tracked 3.6 miles and almost 1000 feet of gain.
Impressions: It was a truly great day despite the cold winds. We saw the forecast and came prepared for the cold, so we were able to enjoy the beautiful mountain and abundant snowpack (the ranger told me it was 12 feet deep). I especially liked that I could find places where I could put down new tracks. Snowshoeing is hard work going up or breaking trail, but then it can be really fun plunging back downhill. That loop into Edith Creek basin was a nice way to experience new terrain on the way down. It got us out of the wind, too. Great day and great company. Looking forward to more snow and more snowshoeing.
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