The Washington State Chronicles

I just absolutely love spontaneous trips. My mom has always proven to be a reliable companion on such excursions, as we both share like-minded spirits -- and more often than not -- she is the one responsible for coming up with, and executing the ideas. Take yesterday for example.

I awoke early in the morning at 7:00am, and had absolutely no plans whatsoever for the day, except that I had to be at work at 6:00pm that evening. I stumbled down the stairs in a groggy stupor, and imediately reached for the coffee pot. My mom then asked me, "Well? What should we do today?" I knew the wheels in her head were already turning as we dicussed many options over our morning coffee. We came up with tons of ideas, but one remained constant: Zuki (my mom's dog) had to come with us! She needed a day out of the house too! Still not settled on one particular idea over the other, we decided to get ready and take it from there.

Once I was ready, I bounded down the stairs once more, completely convinced that we might just be going into town. "I think we'll go to Mt. Rainier," my mom said as we gathered our things, "Longmire is still open even though it's winter." My reaction was estatic! Mt. Rainier?! Are you kidding me?! I didn't think I was going to make it up there until well into spring! I certainly wasn't prepared for that, but that's what's so great about my mom. She'll always surprise you. So, I raced upstairs, grabbed my backpack, threw on another layer, changed into my boots, and off we went.

It only took us forty-five minutes to reach the Nisqually Entrance Station, and soon we were driving through thick Douglas-fir forests, carpeted with moss, and littered with streams towards Longmire. Shortly after gaining access to the park, we stumbled upon two deer -- a doe and her yearling fawn. I didn't expect to see anything since we were visiting the park in the dead of winter, so seeing those deer was extremely rare, and a real treat. We also stopped alongside the road to take a short video, and snap a quick picture of me hugging a HUGE 300-400 year old Douglas-fir tree. It was so big I could barely wrap my arms around the thing, so you can just imagine the size of it.

Once inside the vicinity of Longmire, Zuki had the chance to stretch her legs and walk the parking lot. Animals are not permitted on the trails at the park, only in zones where your car is allowed (like parking lots, campgrounds, and roadsides). But that didn't dampen her spirits in the slightest, and she was quite content racing around the wooded parking lot and sniffing all kinds of new scents. My mom and I took a few more pictures, and visited the giftshop at the Inn, where she secretly purchased a book for me and surprised me with it once outside. It's called "A Falcon Guide: Hiking Mount Rainier National Park" and it has limitless information about all the trails in the park. I can't wait to delve into it!

I got to look my ultimate adversary in the eyes as I gazed in awe at the trail head of the Wonderland Trail there at Longmire. I just sort of sat and stared at the sign for a few moments contemplating to myself, "I will hike you...eventually. I'm nowhere near ready yet, but I will be. You just wait and see." Ha-ha!

After staring longingly at the Wonderland Trail trail head, my mom and I set out for the Trail of Shadows -- a much, much easier hike. This trail takes you leisurely around the woods and hotsprings surrounding Longmire, and gives you a history of the site itself (when it was discovered, when it was built, various facts about wildlife in the area, and the different landscapes).



After the hike, we drove back down towards the park entrance and stopped at the "Copper Creek Inn" for lunch. The Copper Creek has been there since 1946, and man do they have some good food. Of course, no trip up to the mountain is complete without having a good cup of joe to cap off your day, and the Copper Creek Inn offers a rich, bold blend that's sure to warm you up.

A lazy drive back ended our trip and provided some stunning vistas over Clear Lake. Zukes was exhausted from being a mountain doggie, and my mom and I were fairly tired as well. I curled up next to the fire once we were home and skimmed through my new book before I had to leave for work.


Altogether, not a bad day at all. Not at all...

Thanks mom for a great daytrip, and memories to last a lifetime!