July 7, 2025
A mountaintop rendezvous was the setting of our visit to Mount Rainier, “an icon in the Washington landscape,” according to NPS. My long-lost brother Peter and I agreed that we would meet on a Monday in July in a place neither of us had ever been before. He knew of Mount Rainier from its position on the Seattle horizon; I knew of it from the national park scene. From his comfortable seat in the Amazon offices, Peter had often seen helicopters flying in to rescue unfortunate hikers who attempted to climb the local behemoth.
Peter packed up his two children and drove southeast from Renton. We packed up our six children after a quick overnight stay in Coeur d’Alene and drove southwest through Spokane, stopping at a cafe called Terre for gluten free scones along the way and listening to a favorite audio book, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.
Our destination was “Sunrise,” an area of the national park which opens in early July. I don’t recommend cutting as close as we did (July 7) because we actually didn’t know if the roads were passable. We got mixed information from the park website and phone menu, and couldn’t reach a ranger to ask about it directly. Sunrise is the highest point that can reached by vehicle in the park, at 6,400 feet elevation, but it is not, however, “on” Mount Rainier – it’s an adjoining mountain which has a lovely view of the famous peak.
The idea of finding Peter on a massive mountain (largest in the lower 48, apparently!) with no cell service, no idea what his car looked like, and a chance the roads either weren’t open or were backed up with giant crowds, was basically like finding a needle in a haystack. These concerns were based on a pessimistic NPS informational page, mentioning hour long wait times, limited parking, and peak visitation in July. It turned out to be embarrassingly easy! There were no crowds, our phones worked, and – to our excitement – we spotted Peter and the kids right away. For a snowy mountain, the park was incredibly hot and dusty. There were actually mosquitos.
We looked around the visitor center and day lodge (both National Historic Landmarks), hiked out to the Emmons Vista Overlook, and returned to picnic near the lovely alpine meadows around Sunrise Visitor Center. We caught up on life with Peter as we cheerfully swatted mosquitoes and ate sandwiches together. The kids found shady spots between the trees where they made snowballs and slipped around on icy patches.
We set out on the Silver Forest trail. We hiked, and hiked, and after a long time we began to be suspicious. A passing park ranger apologetically told us that Silver Forest “becomes an unmaintained trail” which is code for goes on endlessly. The views were fantastic though.
After hiking, the kids were hot and sweaty so we climbed down to the White River to cool off in a mountain stream which ended up being icy rapids filled with silt. Eva lost a shoe which was almost irreplaceable but Greg managed to chase it down the river. I knew he would get it back.
We wound our way down the mountain and out of the park over to Peter’s house for a casual dinner of tapas & tofu followed by a sing-a-long around the piano (Ol’ Man River). This was my second National Park Sibling trip! Grateful for the memories of such a beautiful place with Peter.
=)
