Two days, two very different mountains. Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier, are both active volcanos. St. Helens erupted 30 years ago, Rainier has the potential to erupt at any time. We drove into the park from the west, entering at the Nisqually entrance station, and continued to the Paradise area at the base of the mountain. The Henry M. Jackson Visitors center provided us with more knowledge about the park and the mountain, including a 15-20 minute video presentation. The one dramatic thing that I learned, was the potential devastation that would happen, should this volcano do it's thing in the future. When Mount St. Helens exploded, there was loss of life, but relatively speaking, it was minimal, due to the lack of population centers near the mountain. If Rainier explodes, the potential for a catastrophe is very real, primarily due to it's close proximity to large population centers. The good news is that there probably would be lots of pre-eruption warnings, and plenty of time to evacuate those areas in harms way.
The drive into the park was mixed with many scenic locations, like the above shot of Patty in front of Christine Falls. We stopped at several turnouts, and took advantage of another picture perfect day, with temps in the upper 60's, low 70's.
The above picture was a rainbow at the bottom of Narada Falls, and from the trail opposite the falls, the spray would get you quite wet, if you stayed very long. The hike back up was a little more difficult, than the hike down, but the view was definitely worth it.
Narada Falls is again in the background of the picture of Patty, Lori, and Everett. When we arrived at the Paradise Area, we were about as close to Rainier, as you can get by driving. We looked through some long range telescopes, and could see folks climbing toward the top of the mountain, which is loaded with glaciers, and that distinctive blue ice. The drive out the east side of the park was also spectacular in regard to scenery, but no critters! Lori always had her camera ready, but it must have been a bear holiday.
Back at the motor home, I BBQ'd some chicken patties for sandwiches, and after dinner, we broke out the jumbo marsh mellows, to singe over the campfire. Actually, Patty who usually burns hers to a crisp, never caught one on fire. It was another great day in the Pacific Northwest.
Two days, two very different mountains. Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier, are both active volcanos. St. Helens erupted 30 years ago, Rainier has the potential to erupt at any time. We drove into the park from the west, entering at the Nisqually entrance station, and continued to the Paradise area at the base of the mountain. The Henry M. Jackson Visitors center provided us with more knowledge about the park and the mountain, including a 15-20 minute video presentation. The one dramatic thing that I learned, was the potential devastation that would happen, should this volcano do it's thing in the future. When Mount St. Helens exploded, there was loss of life, but relatively speaking, it was minimal, due to the lack of population centers near the mountain. If Rainier explodes, the potential for a catastrophe is very real, primarily due to it's close proximity to large population centers. The good news is that there probably would be lots of pre-eruption warnings, and plenty of time to evacuate those areas in harms way.
The drive into the park was mixed with many scenic locations, like the above shot of Patty in front of Christine Falls. We stopped at several turnouts, and took advantage of another picture perfect day, with temps in the upper 60's, low 70's. 
The above picture was a rainbow at the bottom of Narada Falls, and from the trail opposite the falls, the spray would get you quite wet, if you stayed very long. The hike back up was a little more difficult, than the hike down, but the view was definitely worth it.
Narada Falls is again in the background of the picture of Patty, Lori, and Everett. When we arrived at the Paradise Area, we were about as close to Rainier, as you can get by driving. We looked through some long range telescopes, and could see folks climbing toward the top of the mountain, which is loaded with glaciers, and that distinctive blue ice. The drive out the east side of the park was also spectacular in regard to scenery, but no critters! Lori always had her camera ready, but it must have been a bear holiday.
Back at the motor home, I BBQ'd some chicken patties for sandwiches, and after dinner, we broke out the jumbo marsh mellows, to singe over the campfire. Actually, Patty who usually burns hers to a crisp, never caught one on fire. It was another great day in the Pacific Northwest.
No comments:
Post a Comment