Crystal’s new Mt. Rainier Gondola is now pet-friendly, so we decided to take advantage of an absolutely gorgeous day and take our dogs for their very first gondola ride!  We grabbed their leashes, a water bottle, a plastic bowl and zipped up the road a quick 10 minutes from Alta Crystal.

We were actually a little surprised at how easily the dogs got on the Gondola.  Georgia hopped on like she was a pro, and Jebbie just took about 15 seconds of coaching.  (You could tell he was trying to get the timing right—kind of like the first time a… Read Full Story

We were up at the White River Campground a few weeks ago with our nephew who was visiting from out-of-town and thought, at that time, that we might hike the Wonderland Trail up to Sunrise.  A little too much snow to do it then, but we had seen a lot of melting in 2 weeks, so on Father’s Day, we decided it would be a fun adventure to try again.

What a difference 2 weeks make!  There was virtually no snow at the White River Campground (!!) and the Park had done a nice job marking the Wonderland Trail so… Read Full Story

While we were at Silver Falls (see the blog article in this section), we decided to check out the Grove of the Patriarchs—always one of our favorite hikes. 

To many, the Grove of the Patriachs is almost a sacred place, and on a cloudy day, entering the Grove feels almost like entering a cathedral.  It’s hard to comprehend that these trees were around when the Magna Carta was being signed.  To others, the Grove of the Patriarchs is simply a wonderful short (1/2 mile each way) hike that’s good for all ages. Regardless of which camp you fall in,… Read Full Story