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A Mountain Wonderland
This past weekend I bundled up and headed out for a cross country ski adventure right outside of Mt Rainier National Park. The park and surrounding areas offer an abundance of opportunities for getting outside. A couple of friends and I had rented the High Hut cabin through the Mount Tahoma Trails Association and we were out for a weekend of skiing and snowshoeing through the National Forest land.
The weather around Rainier can change moment by moment and soon the cabin was shrouded in a thick cloud which brought visibility outside down to only a couple of feet. The cloud cover stayed above us but by the next day the visibility was much improved offering the ability to do some back country skiing, dipping and weaving through forest and brush, lunching at the edge of a frozen lake and enjoying the spectacular beauty of the forest.
Turning to leave and head back home was a difficult move. The air was warm for this time of year and the sky the type of brilliant blue that you can almost forget can happen during the winter in Seattle. The trip down the steep slopes was a lazy one full of birds chirping and the sound of melting snow dripping from evergreen branches.
Rainier followed me back home as an ever looming presence in the rear view mirror reminding me that even as I headed back to the city it will always be a short distance away.
The beauty of Rainier and the other mountains in the Cascades is threatened by Climate Change. Due to continuing warming of the planet the majestic glaciers are melting at accelerated speeds. Mt Adams is a prime example of what is happening and why we need to do all we can to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change. If we don’t the beauty of the mountains will be changed forever.
Have your own outdoor adventure this winter! Be Out There and enjoy the great Out of Doors. Where is your favorite place to get out in your area?