Mount Rainier Here We Come

Welcoming myself into retirement means taking a trip that while teaching was not not possible.  Kathi and I are on a fall hiking adventure to celebrate! We are spending the fist week at Mount Rainier dayhiking  and then the following week we are out on a six day backpacking trip with Sierra Club up on the wonderland trail plus the northern loop.

We took off from Milwaukee this morning after being dropped off at the airport by Michelle

We have our day packs on our back along with our two backpacks hugging together in the carried bag.   All of the items that will fill the two backpacks are rolling behind us in the large suitcases.  

Flight to Seattle was good.  Walking out of the airport terminal we encountered a super long line of people waiting to get through security.  Long line just is not the correct description.  More of a serpentined snake slithering its long self throughout the entire entrance of the check in area.  Down  the long hall, around the escalators back and forth and all through the airport! We happened upon a person who was a roving information desk.  Meaning with all of the congestion the help desk was hidden, and he had to carry his clip board and asstit as needed.  We inquired about the lines.  He said two hours before your flight check in are a minimum number.  Sometimes there is a line, sometimes no line.  But the line makes for good people watching.  The man had found joy and pleasure in his job amongst the high anxiety of travelers thinking they might miss their flight.  He was the calm shining light of hope, as well as,  a calm voice of help.  We asked about the TSA precheck line?  He told us we were smart travelers!  That line was the short line down by number 4.  Kathi and I each applied for our Known Travler Number (TSA Pre check) earlier this summer.  The cost of it was $85 bucks.  Capitol One credit offer a perk this summer to pick up the cost of the TSA pre check...super great deal! So we applied.   This perk helps speed up going through the security line at the airport.  And it might also save some serious “am I going to make my flight” anxiety.  I do not want to stand in the line!  No worries for Kathi and I... we are now “known”.

We had printed off the directions and addresss to our cabin down by Mount Rainier. Along the way we wanted to buy groceries. That meant we needed to go through Eatonville as it was the closest town with a grocery.  Punched it into WAZE.  I should have just gotten out a map.  We managed to take the strangest convoluted drive from Seattle to Mount Rainier as you could imagine.  By the time I started wondering where we were going and dug out a map it was too late...we were stuck taking the route.  It was the long twisted drive, just line the airport line.  WAZE must not have know we were “known” travelers!  Or was I suppose to have “known” better and checked a map first?

We found our cabin and moved in before heading off to talk with a ranger about the hikes.  Then off we went to the Visitors center in Longmeirer and then drove up to Paradise Inn visitor center.. wwe have not been here for19 years. There is anew beautiful visitor center up at Paradise.  It has some interactive information and a great place to look at the top of the mountain...

It seems pretty chilly here.  Colder than it appeared on the internet page.  I hope!!! It gets a bit warmer or we will be really cold next week!