I’ve been to Paradise………but I’ve never been to Me

We looked up "Me" in Google Maps but can’t seem to find it. So instead we drove the short distance from Portland to Kelso, in order to visit Mt St Helens, the volcano that erupted dramatically and catastrophically in 1980.  We went on a helicopter flight which took us right into the crater and over the lava dome which is still smoking. Very exciting, fantastic views on a beautiful day. We drove up to Johnston Ridge observatory which is on the edge of the “Devastated Area” – they have some great displays that really give a sense of the terrifyingly awesome power of the eruption. There are hillsides still covered, 33 years on, with dead trees that have been snapped like matchsticks.

The Jetranger heads off toward Mt St Helens

33 years on and the trees can still be seen snapped off

The volcano is still smoking

Spirit Lake still has the log debris jammed in it 33 years on

After Kelso, we travelled on to Mt Rainier National Park, to the area known as Paradise. Yet another winding mountain road, this time with a few more guardrails and wider road which was much better. And more trees, so at least if we go off the edge a tree will break the fall. We said this to a ranger in Sequoia NP - he nodded his head vigorously and proceeded to tell us about another ranger who had spent the night in her car in a tree after she drove off the edge of a road there. Happy thoughts! On the way to the park, we passed by the Faith Baptist Church, with a sign that said “ to get to Paradise, you have to go by Faith”. Words to live by.  We also passed through the town of Ethel, with the unfortunate welcome sign “Entering Ethel” – woops.

After all this excitement, we arrived at the wonderfully rustic Paradise Inn, built in 1916 out of local timber and without the use of nails. They added some after the Inn started sliding down the mountain – skiing is great but not when you’re lying in bed in the Inn. The weather was superb and we had brilliant views of Mt Rainier and the surrounding mountains, still deep in snow. Mt Rainier makes its own weather and is apparently mostly in a bad mood, but for us, Mt Rainier was Sunnier.

With all the trails snow covered, we rented some snowshoes and set off on some short walks near to the lodge. The first rule of snow-shoeing……don’t stand on your opposite snowshoe. You will fall over. Trust me.  We discovered that 6 km of walking in snowshoes is really fun but boy is it hard work, especially in the afternoon with the snow getting decidedly slushy.  If we went any further we’d start developing thighs and buttocks like East German speed skaters (make the bad picture go away). It was also surprisingly hot so we were in T-shirts pretty soon, exercising our right to bare arms. It was really hard to get my head around being hot when the snow pack is 92 inches thick. The effort was rewarded with gorgeous views of the mountain and we could see down to Mt St Helens and Mt Adams in the distance. Wow!!

The snow pack outside the lodge

If you continue to throw snow balls, you might not like the consequences

In front of Mt Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier

Now pick your feet up

After trying for the summit, Mike is forced back due to bad weather

Next day we headed back down the valley with a plan to walk to Comet Falls, highly recommended by a ranger at the Visitors Centre. A sign at the trailhead advised the use of an ice-axe and crampons, and being in possession of neither, we abandoned this plan. We found some other waterfalls to walk to, via the forest, so the bears were treated to another concert of tuneless campfire songs. They stayed away. We generally sing “I love to go a-wandering” and are making up new end lines. “I love to go a-wandering, my knapsack on my back. And as I go, I love to sing, ‘I’ve got a leg of ham strapped to my back’” or ‘small children make a tasty snack’ and on it goes.

The fox wants the singing to stop

Narada Falls

Mt Rainier tucked itself into a blanket of cloud and misty rain for a little while, but the clouds swirled away allowing for a last glimpse before we headed down the mountain toward Olympic National Park. 

"and if you look closely, you can see when Jim was born"