Mt. Rainier National Park

Cabin in the Woods

/ Rachel / 4 Comments

Two weeks ago tonight, we had zero cell signal, dodgy Wi-Fi, the warmest, most snuggly mattress ever, and absolute serenity. There was nothing to greet us in the dark of night when we took Jaxx out to potty but the sound of the wind high in the evergreens. It was nothing short of magical, and I’ve thought of it frequently since we got back home.

We decided to get away for a couple of days and, instead of going to our travel trailer like usual, we headed to a rental cabin in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. I made the reservation back in July, the same week that Roxie died and that we adopted Jaxx. I knew then that we needed to get away, but we wanted to wait until Fall. We are Fall people. Summer and summer crowds are not for us.

Continue reading →
Advertisement

They’re apparently making me share Mt. Rainier…

/ Rachel / 2 Comments

IMG_1374I have a confession: in our two years here in Washington state, I have started to think of Mt. Rainier as mine.

Yes, I know that Mt. Rainier is a national park and, under duress, I will share it with America and the rest of the mountain-loving world. The problem is – or I guess it’s not a problem at all – that most times when we venture into the park, the crowds are light and we can end up on roads and paths and in spaces where we’re the only two people around. Just us and a waterfall rushing toward a creek below.

Add to this the fact that every visit to Mt. Rainier National Park is a religious experience to me. The mountains and valleys and acres of trees inside the park are my synagogue, my chapel, my spot to connect with the divine. There’s no place I’ve been with fresher, cleaner air, which seems to fill my lungs while simultaneously cleansing my spirit.

Continue reading →

Let this indoor girl OUT!

/ Rachel / 2 Comments

As Jack Dawson described Rose DeWitt-Bukater, I, too, am an “indoor girl.” Historically, if I had to choose an outdoor activity versus an indoor one, especially in the heat of summer, I would always choose the activity that let me sit in the air conditioning and avoid mosquito bites.

I vividly remember our brief, brief foray into camping a few years ago. We were living in our little rental house in Acton, Indiana and we suddenly (and inexplicably, now that I think about it) decided that we were “camping people,” so we went out and bought all the stuff, and I mean all the stuff.  Tent. Sleeping bags. Lanterns. Matches. Bug zappers. Bug spray. Bug netting. Collapsible camp table. Everything we could possibly need for a night of tent sleeping in our own backyard.

Continue reading →

Not-wordless Wednesday – White River along Chinook Pass Scenic Byway

/ Rachel / 1 Comment

The thing I love most about living in a new area is that we get to be explorers.  Especially here in Washington, where hundreds of miles of untapped wilderness is just a very short drive.

My schedule is different this week because I’m working the “late” shift (12p-9p), but I’m working from home, so my mornings are free.  We decided to explore and we ended up down on the Chinook Pass Scenic Byway.   Continue reading →