Today, we headed away from the cities and back into the mountains. We circled around the north and east sides of Mt. Rainier National Park, and eventually ended up on the south side – our home for the next three nights.
happy Donuts
While Mom and Faith packed up and grabbed some fruit from the breakfast buffet at the hotel in Puyallup, Dad and I headed out to gas up the car and get some less-healthy breakfast food. We stopped at Happy Donuts to get a variety of flavors of old-fashioned donuts, plus some donut holes. They were very good, but paled in comparison to Daylight Donuts.
After eating in the hotel’s dining area, we loaded the van and started driving east into the mountains.
Lamppost Coffee Roasters
About 15 minutes outside of Puyallup, we arrived in Bonnie Lake, WA, and stopped in Lamppost Coffee Roasters, an SCA-certified roaster. The shop is loosely themed after The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis). Most importantly, they had incredible coffee. Dad and I split three kinds of filter coffee: a Mexican peaberry pour over, a Peruvian pour over, and a Brazilian on batch brew. All were incredibly good – so good that I’ll probably order some of their beans online eventually.
Lamppost Coffee Roasters
Bonnie Lake, WA
While I realize most people aren’t going to make a special trip just to visit a coffee shop, this place is truly outstanding. Even if you never are in Bonnie Lake, I’d recommend ordering some of their beans online. Their attention to detail is only matched by a few other roasters I’ve been to.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Mt. Rainier National Park
After winding east and then south past the town of Greenwater, Crystal Mountain Resort, and the Mt. Rainier gondola, we finally approached one of the park’s official entrances at the White River Ranger Station. As I do with all national parks, I’ll share some facts and details below.
- Mt. Rainier is 14,411′ tall, the highest in Washington State and the Cascade Range
- 236,381 acres
- ~1.4M annual visitors
- The 93mi Wonderland Trail circles the mountain. It takes an average of 10-14 days to complete the entire trail, and only ~200 do this annually.
- 260+ miles of hiking trails
- 65 mammal species
- 14 amphibian species
- 5 reptile species
- 182 bird species
- 14 native fish species
- Average annual snowfall of 54′
- 248+ species of wildflowers
- Mt. Rainier is the most topographically prominent mountain in the lower 48 states
- Mt. Rainier has the most glaciers of any peak in the lower 48 states (26)
- Mt. Rainier is an active volcano that last erupted in 1894
- The mountain was originally called Tahoma or Tacoma by the Puyallup tribe, which roughly translates to “Mother of all Waters”
- The area became the 4th US national park in 1899
- An Air Force Lieutenant, John Hodgkin, landed his plane on the summit of Mt. Rainier in 1951. However, when it wouldn’t start when he tried to take off again. After spending the night in sub-zero temperatures inside his plane, he decided to push the plane down the face of a glacier to attempt a no-start takeoff. As he gained momentum, he managed to get airborne using the updraft. He then successfully landed his plane on frozen Mowich Lake, faced minor legal charges, and lived in infamy forever. (Article)
- Walt Disney honeymooned in the park in 1925
White River Entrance
As we entered the park, we stopped at a couple scenic overlooks before we reached higher elevations. First, we pulled over at a roadside overlook of the White River. Next, another pullout offered a view of Skookum Falls.
We continued up Sunrise Park Road, getting ever-closer to the massive snow-capped volcano as we climbed.
Sunrise Point
The road crosses over the White River, and climbs to Sunrise Point, which is the first full unobstructed view of the mountain. It was amazing to see it up close for the first time, not to mention views of all the other surrounding peaks, valleys, and lakes.
The road continues up from the lookout, approaching the Sunrise Visitor Center.
Sourdough Ridge
At the road’s end, we parked at the visitor center and day lodge, gathered some maps and trail info, and decided on our hiking plan. Since we had time to do a longer hike, Faith and I decided we’d do the Sourdough Ridge trail. The entire trail is about 8 miles one-way, so we decided we’d hike at least part of it. We loaded up Walker in the backpack carrier and headed for the trailhead.
The first part of the hike is a steep ascent to the ridge, and then the trail levels out a little as you traverse the ridge line. As we approached the mountain, we were stunned by its size; while it looks huge from Seattle, you don’t truly realize its enormity until you get this close.
Bonus: see if you can spot the ice cave on the mountainside.
Occasionally, the trail climbed to where you could see down into the valleys on both sides of the ridge.
As the sun got higher in the sky, we started to get pretty hot, especially Walker. I also realized my pack’s water reservoir had sprung a leak and was losing all its contents. So, I soaked Walker’s sun hat with the water that remained, topped off Faith’s hard-sided water bottle and the sippy-cup, and we headed back for the car as quickly as we could.
Back at Sunrise, we rehydrated and cooled off in the shade, very glad we made the trek despite the leak and the heat. At least all the leaking water had temporarily cooled down my backside…
Snacking
Back at the day lodge and visitor center, we grabbed a couple snacks from the day lodge, finally broke into the Spinnaker chocolate bar, and ate some of our snacks from the car. Dad got a new hat from the gift shop, and Faith and I each got a shirt.
Vista // Forest
Now refreshed, Dad and I decided to go on another short hike, while Faith, Mom, and Walker stayed in the visitor center. Starting on the opposite side of the parking lot as the trailhead for Sourdough Ridge, we headed to the Silver Forest trail and Emmons Vista. It took us a couple minutes to figure out where we were going (the trail maps were not very clear), but once we did, it was a short, pleasant walk through the forest to get to the viewpoint.
White River
Leaving Sunrise and descending back down Sunrise Park Road, we drove back over the White River, which gets its name from the glacial “flour” that clouds the water a milky grey.
Chinook Pass
Continuing south on the Mather Memorial Parkway, we headed towards the Chinook Pass, Yakima Peak, Naches Peak, and Tipsoo Lake. At Tipsoo Lake, Dad and I hiked the loop around the lake, which was roughly a mile. It took us a while though, because we had to navigate through some snowy patches.
Driving up above Tipsoo Lake, we entered Wenatchee National Forest, and briefly looked down the Chinook Pass.
Returning back to Tipsoo Lake, we briefly pulled over at the upper overlook, where you could see the lake, Naches Peak, and Mt. Rainier all at once.
Ohanapecosh
As we neared the Ohanapecosh entrance, we decided we’d come back another day to explore this area. However, we did quickly make a U-turn because I spotted two elk by the side of the road – a cow and her calf. We stopped to watch them for a few minutes. I realized I’d never actually seen a baby elk (at least not one this small) before. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a clear picture of the calf, because the tall grass hid it.
Packwood
Continuing even farther south, we arrived in the small town of Packwood, and began to seek out a place to eat dinner. Many of the restaurants were closed, but we found Packwood Brewing Co., just off the main road, was open. They had a limited menu that was all served out of a food truck outside, but the food turned out to be very good.
We got three pulled pork sandwiches and a bratwurst. Each came with a bag of chips and a colossal dill pickle. The restaurant had very interesting décor, including unique door handles.
Ice Cream Airstream
Alongside the food trucks, they also had an “Ice Cream Airstream” outside. Mom got a cup of huckleberry swirl, Faith got espresso flake, and Dad and I split a gigantic huckleberry milkshake. All were very delicious and refreshing after a long day of hiking and sightseeing.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Our Airbnb was in Ashford, WA, a 40 minute drive away. We took National Forest Road NF-52, also known as Skate Creek Road, over to Ashford. We were very surprised at the scenery, and even though it was a slow, winding drive along the creek, it was very beautiful and a nice unplanned sightseeing excursion.
Ashford
We finally arrived in Ashford, and unloaded at our Airbnb. Thankfully, the owner had installed portable A/C units to combat the record heat; however, it was a big surprise that one of them pretty much took up the entire bathroom in Mom and Dad’s side. Nonetheless, we were grateful to have them.
Dad and I headed back out to scout out the area, and grab a few snacks for Walker from the local convenience store. We all fell asleep quickly, tired from a very full day.
Video
Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “Sourdough Ridge Trail”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the huckleberry milkshake and coffee from Lamppost”.
Faith
The best thing I saw today was… “the Sourdough Ridge hike”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the coffee from Lamppost”.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “the Sunrise Corridor”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the huckleberry milkshake and the Peruvian coffee”.
Amy
The best thing I saw today was… “the view of Mt. Rainier and the baby elk”.
The best thing I ate today was… “the huckleberry ice cream”.
Conclusion
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Tomorrow, we’ll continue exploring other areas in Mt. Rainier National Park, and probably drive back to Ohanapecosh.
– Isaac, Faith, Jerry, Amy, and Walker
