Sunrise

Joe and I celebrated four years of marriage by hiking around Sunrise, Mt Rainier. It was a beautiful day. I became quite enamored with all the interesting rocks, and ended up taking far too many pictures. Part of the trail was completely covered in snow, but it was a short part, so we braved it. It really helped that we were able to watch a family cross that part of the trail just up ahead of us. If they could do it, surely I could, right?

After visiting both Sunrise and Paradise a couple of times now, I think I can say with certainty that Sunrise is my favorite. It feels like you are so much higher up compared to Paradise. I think this is due partly to the fact that so many of the trails are along ridges. Besides, the Sunrise viewpoint (just before the visitor center, at the switchback on the road) has got to be one of the best views on Earth. We could easily see Mt Adams from there. It looked like someone held a mirror up to Mt Rainier. Breathtaking.