In mid-July, Debby and I invited our five children and their families and six grandchildren for a three-day get together at a cabin at Ashford near Mt. Rainier. We began festivities by hosting the out-of-towners at our house: first Ben and Zhanna, then Barry and Kelly on separate nights before the GTG; Owen stayed over one night after.
All of the following pictures are attributable to family members. Thanks to all the excellent photogs in our group. Dori set up the following self-timer shot. It takes a few takes to get everyone to say cheese at the right instant.
We arrived at the lodge Friday afternoon and left Monday morning, scheduling a weekend to accommodate working family schedules. The weather almost cooperated, a little drippy, but nothing to keep us from getting out and about in the National Park. The only measurable precipitation occurred late Sunday afternoon and evening.
We took a shuttle bus to Paradise for lunch on Saturday. Going up, we largely had the bus to ourselves.
Spring is a month behind schedule this year, and the snowpack in the Cascades is considerably heavier than normal, so instead of wildflowers at Paradise, we found 10-foot snow drifts, which the grandkids enjoyed. We also got to see gray jays (P. C. obscurus), a bird I had not seen before.
We stopped and hiked down to Narada Falls from Cougar Rock campground on the way back.
Back at Longmire, Owen and I did a quick loop of the Trail of the Shadows while the others browsed the store and museum while waiting to switch buses for the trip back to Ashford.
On Sunday morning, Zhanna drove the other intrepid hikers in our group, Owen, Kea, and myself back to Longmire for another longer hike. Zhanna and I did the Rampart Ridge Loop Trail (4.6 miles, 1300'+ elevation gain, over 4000' at the top), while Owen and Kea hiked around the Longmire area and checked out the amenities in more detail.
The ridge trail provided a pleasant walk at a leisurely pace (thank you Zhanna). It was lightly traveled, and we had near perfect hiking weather. All Rainier below the tree line is covered by a lovely old-growth forest. We saw some nice views from the higher elevations, although Rainier's top was obscured by cloud cover.
Everyone took turns cooking in the cabin's well-stocked kitchen. Because some were late arriving Friday night (mea culpa), the menu order was revised (thanks to some quick thinking by the BBQ team). They did the BBQ Friday, we had lasagna on Sat. night, and a taco feast on Sun. night. Dori showed us how to make crepes Sat. morning, and I manned the waffle iron Sun. and Mon. morning. We had Sunday lunch at a great outdoor burger stand in Ashford.
We played card games and other games in the evenings, and several iPads appeared to keep their owners enthralled with all manner of electronica. The children seemed to enjoy the cabin, although a head cut and stomach distress waylaid two for a while. The adults and older kiddos enjoyed the outdoor hot tub (except yours truly - doctor's orders because of a slight toe injury.)
Minor excitement was created during a black bear visit to our cabin early Sunday morning (waking some campers in our group around 3AM), and again Sunday evening. S/he took excessive interest in our trash can, which was secured outside the cabin, but was only raccoon-proof, not bear-proof. Thanks to Owen and Barry for cleaning up the Sunday morning mess. Dori called in the police on Sunday night. The bear did not return after that, and we heard three gunshots nearby later on. Dori reported that one official thought the animal may have been trapped previously and moved back into the park wilderness. But once habituated, they keep returning to their old haunts, so there is not much choice regarding how to deal with the animal.
Everyone expressed satisfaction with the weekend. Unfortunately, one nice walk we all would have enjoyed, the Grove of the Patriarchs, was at the opposite side of the park and inaccessible by shuttle bus. Perhaps next time, if someone grabs the reins and plans the next retreat.
On Tuesday following, Owen and I explored the trails through the local forested ravine by our house, wading through ankle-deep muck and fording the local creek three times where the trail was washed out, all the while bushwhacking through thick blackberry overgrowth. Thanks Owen for helping me explore my neighborhood.
All of the following pictures are attributable to family members. Thanks to all the excellent photogs in our group. Dori set up the following self-timer shot. It takes a few takes to get everyone to say cheese at the right instant.
We arrived at the lodge Friday afternoon and left Monday morning, scheduling a weekend to accommodate working family schedules. The weather almost cooperated, a little drippy, but nothing to keep us from getting out and about in the National Park. The only measurable precipitation occurred late Sunday afternoon and evening.
We took a shuttle bus to Paradise for lunch on Saturday. Going up, we largely had the bus to ourselves.
Spring is a month behind schedule this year, and the snowpack in the Cascades is considerably heavier than normal, so instead of wildflowers at Paradise, we found 10-foot snow drifts, which the grandkids enjoyed. We also got to see gray jays (P. C. obscurus), a bird I had not seen before.
We stopped and hiked down to Narada Falls from Cougar Rock campground on the way back.
Back at Longmire, Owen and I did a quick loop of the Trail of the Shadows while the others browsed the store and museum while waiting to switch buses for the trip back to Ashford.
On Sunday morning, Zhanna drove the other intrepid hikers in our group, Owen, Kea, and myself back to Longmire for another longer hike. Zhanna and I did the Rampart Ridge Loop Trail (4.6 miles, 1300'+ elevation gain, over 4000' at the top), while Owen and Kea hiked around the Longmire area and checked out the amenities in more detail.
The ridge trail provided a pleasant walk at a leisurely pace (thank you Zhanna). It was lightly traveled, and we had near perfect hiking weather. All Rainier below the tree line is covered by a lovely old-growth forest. We saw some nice views from the higher elevations, although Rainier's top was obscured by cloud cover.
Everyone took turns cooking in the cabin's well-stocked kitchen. Because some were late arriving Friday night (mea culpa), the menu order was revised (thanks to some quick thinking by the BBQ team). They did the BBQ Friday, we had lasagna on Sat. night, and a taco feast on Sun. night. Dori showed us how to make crepes Sat. morning, and I manned the waffle iron Sun. and Mon. morning. We had Sunday lunch at a great outdoor burger stand in Ashford.
We played card games and other games in the evenings, and several iPads appeared to keep their owners enthralled with all manner of electronica. The children seemed to enjoy the cabin, although a head cut and stomach distress waylaid two for a while. The adults and older kiddos enjoyed the outdoor hot tub (except yours truly - doctor's orders because of a slight toe injury.)
Minor excitement was created during a black bear visit to our cabin early Sunday morning (waking some campers in our group around 3AM), and again Sunday evening. S/he took excessive interest in our trash can, which was secured outside the cabin, but was only raccoon-proof, not bear-proof. Thanks to Owen and Barry for cleaning up the Sunday morning mess. Dori called in the police on Sunday night. The bear did not return after that, and we heard three gunshots nearby later on. Dori reported that one official thought the animal may have been trapped previously and moved back into the park wilderness. But once habituated, they keep returning to their old haunts, so there is not much choice regarding how to deal with the animal.
Everyone expressed satisfaction with the weekend. Unfortunately, one nice walk we all would have enjoyed, the Grove of the Patriarchs, was at the opposite side of the park and inaccessible by shuttle bus. Perhaps next time, if someone grabs the reins and plans the next retreat.
On Tuesday following, Owen and I explored the trails through the local forested ravine by our house, wading through ankle-deep muck and fording the local creek three times where the trail was washed out, all the while bushwhacking through thick blackberry overgrowth. Thanks Owen for helping me explore my neighborhood.
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