Day 3: We Hike a Mountain!

Today didn’t start out rushed, which was really nice. We spent our morning showering, getting dressed, organizing our clothes, and going to the lodge dining hall for a buffet breakfast. The breakfast was definitely filling, which was good for the day we had planned ahead of us!

After stuffing our faces, we got on our hiking boots, and headed to the car to make sandwiches for lunch on the mountain. Food was organized, water bottles were filled, and we headed up. We took the Skyline Trail, which is what the hikers who are going to eventually peak the mountain take. They take the trail to the turn off for the Muir Base Camp (where we had seen the flashlights the night before)., so we were going to be on a path with some serious hikers.

The first thing we did was try to step over snow that was covering the path. We all thought it was really fun that we were in this nice warm air (around 75 degrees), and stepping on snow! I should mention that we thought we saw snow when we arrived last night, but it was too dark to tell. This morning we saw that it was all around us! Anyway, as we headed up this trail, there were parts of it that were completely snow covered. Pete decided he was a snowboarder, and was having a lot of fun. However, there were a few times he “boarded” too close to the edge of the mountain, and gave Steve and myself a heart attack!

We ended up alternating between snow covered trails and hiking right on the mountain. We passed meadows that were just filled with wildflowers, and we passed glaciers and areas that were barren rock. This trail took us up 1,500 feet, and we were able to not only see one of the major glaciers coming off the mountain, but we ended up walking across one as well! The blue ice of the glaciers is really something. It’s pretty wild to be walking on snow in jeans and a t-shirt and not be cold!

The kids also loved to drink the water coming off the mountain. I wasn’t so sure, but Emily thought it was the best water ever. It was easiest to fill our water bottles when we would cross a mountain stream (or sometimes walked in one as it was part of the path). It took us about three hours to get to Paramount Peak, which was the highest point we wanted to get to. Anything higher and we would have been heading to Base Camp!

We stopped and had lunch there, and then made the little trek to a pit toilet since it was time. Emily thought it was the cutest little potty she’d ever seen. Uh, okay Em. We then headed back down the other side of the trail. There were fewer people on this side of the trail, and there were more meadows to walk across. It was drier, but we did end up having to cross a couple of glaciers, and so took the opportunity to have a snowball fight!

At one point, there was a small drop along a patch of snow, and it seemed easiest to just sit down and ride it down. We all took turns. The kids had a blast! I landed less than gracefully, but Steve managed to land well. We all ended up walking with wet rears for awhile!

By the time we made it back to the lodge, it was about 3:30 and we were exhausted! We had traveled four miles in five hours. Not very good time if you’re running a race! Yes, Pete had hiked the entire time (even ran some of it!) We stopped a lot going up, which accounted for the many hours it took to complete the circle. The back of Andy’s neck was sunburned, as were the back of Steve’s legs. Even though I was wearing a wide brimmed hat, the front of my neck was burned. I think it was the glare from the snow. It was a beautiful day, but that sun was hot!

Once back at the lodge, we all showered and put on comfortable clothes and shoes. We had ice cream and played a few card games in the lobby. The lobby is a two story wooden structure with beautiful wooden beams. Definitely something you’d find in the woods in the Pacific Northwest!

We ate dinner in the dining hall again, and did a little shopping in the gift shop afterwards. We got a few cookies from the café and sat outside enjoying dessert and another round of cards. After that, the kids collapsed into bed, and Steve and I enjoyed the evening presentation on volcanos in the lobby. I’m afraid he and I were starting to fall asleep during the presentation, so we headed back up to the room where children were already snoring.

Steve is now passed out, and I’m exhausted, so that ends the first fantastic day of our trip. Tomorrow we descend on Seattle for a day in the big city.