Mt. Rainier Snowshoe

This morning 5 of us made the long drive to Mt. Rainier to snowshoe.   We reached Paradise a little before 10 a.m and did the short snowshoe to Myrtle Falls first.  We didn't realize that Myrtle Falls would be completely covered in snow, but the views were still fantastic, so we didn't mind a bit.  It was a lot more crowded than I had anticipated, and we ran into tons of showshoers, skiers and snowboarders. I can understand why everyone was there, though, because the weather was just gorgeous.  We went down a second trail that headed to Narada Falls, but stopped at a point that looked extremely steep, to turn around.   We finished the day with a picnic lunch at the Visitor's Center.  A perfect way to end the snowshoe season!

It was just gorgeous! Look at that blue sky!

Brenda sorting out her gear in the parking lot. 

Cute snowman someone built.  You can see  how much new snow that had fallen since it was built.

Chase checking out how deep the snow was off trail.

Chase & Viki

Crystal & Brenda

First attempt at the timer.  I couldn't get into position in time.  It's hard to move quickly in snowshoes!

Made it!

My photo turned a bit hazy-my lens must have fogged over.  These are snowballs that we were rolling down the hill.  It's funny how the snow turned the round little snowballs into different shapes.

Look how deep that snow is at the lodge! I think those dormers are from the 2nd or 3rd floor.

Brenda making a heart with her & Jerry's initials.  Awww!

Thanks to Viki for the following pics.... 

This is me all red in the face after climbing up a very steep part of the trail...hard to see, but it went down, down, down then back up, up, up!