Mount Rainier National Park

Our journey continues north into the great state of Washington. We picked a park to stay at about half way between Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. What we didn't plan for was the fires in Canada that blanketed this area with a layer of smoke and the temps being about 20 degrees above normal. Our first day venturing into Mt. Rainier NP was a smokey day with poor visibility. Our second day was a complete bust as we attempted to get to a hike into Mt. St. Helens only to find out at the ranger station that the road was washed out and closed. Fortunately our luck turned after day 2 and we had clearing skies and were able to explore both parks. Mt. Rainier is amazing with its glaciers, peak and wild flowers. Mt. St. Helens is equally impressive with its recent history of activity. The hikes at St. Helens were a little barren, but that is to be expected in the devastation area of an active volcano. We ended up sunburned, dehydrated and exhausted from hiking, but we want to come back to summit Mt. Rainier on our next visit.