We woke up around 8:00am and got ready for a full day at Mt. Rainier. I had stumbled across a website that offered private tours of Mt. Rainier that could be tailored to do whatever interested the party. Having a child diagnosed with Autism, the thought of going on a bus with 30 strangers just did not appeal to me at all! We had a quick breakfast at the Hilton’s restaurant and then headed down to meet our tour guides. The name of the company is Evergreen Escapes and I cannot recommend them highly enough! We had two guides that picked us up promptly at 9:00am – Tyler and Alice. The ‘car’ that they picked us up in was some kind of Mercedes excursion van that looked like it belonged in a National Geographic commercial for spoiled adventure seekers! It had an incredible navigation system and HUGE windows on every side that offered great views. Since we had the van to ourselves, we were able to spread out and really enjoy the trip to Mt. Rainier. Tyler and Alice told us all about downtown and pointed out several sights along the way. About halfway to our destination, we were offered delicious energy bars and scrumptious cookies. Since I was such a picture aficionado, Alice stopped for a photo opportunity at a beautiful dam. After several pictures and a quick stretch of our legs, we were offered delicious bottles of ice cold water and we were off again to Paradise – literally!
Tyler kept insisting that we were going to get to ‘touch’ some snow. Of course, since it was about 80 degrees outside, I found it really hard to believe! Once we arrived at Mt. Rainier National Park, the scenery really changed dramatically. It is very hard to describe, but it just seemed like the greens were ‘greener’. It was as if everything was ‘cleaner’ or ‘fresher’ in the beautiful forests that we gazed upon. The trees – which Alice and Tyler knew everything about, were HUGE and simply stunning. Our first stop was a quick two minute hike to a river bed that looked up to a misty Mt. Rainier. Tyler pointed out the cones that fell from the indigenous trees and the various fauna that surrounded us. After a few more pictures we were off again climbing higher into the mountainside.
Then, all of a sudden, we saw it! There it was, it was everywhere! Something my son had never seen before and I had not seen up close in twenty years! SNOW! True, it was just in small patches hidden in the shadows along side the road, but it was there. It was certainly snow. We stopped at another overlook with a breathtaking view of the mountain which afforded us the opportunity to actually TOUCH the snow. In about 10 seconds, Tyler had already taught Peyton how to form and throw a snowball. Of course, there is no target more fun than Mom, so I suddenly was the target of all of my son’s snowballs and the ensuing laughter was infectious! Please remember however, that it was 80 degrees when we left and we were in shorts and t-shits! When a snowball runs down your back – it is REALLY cold. This, of course, just made Peyton laugh even harder.
We still had not yet arrived in ‘Paradise’, so we climbed back into our ‘adventure limo’ and continued our climb. We passed several waterfalls along the way which Tyler and Alice explained just came from the snow melting from the top of the mountain and would no longer be there in a couple of months.
When we finally arrived at Paradise, I just could not believe my eyes. There was snow EVERYWHERE! Our hike through the woods left out one very exciting adjective. Our hike was going to be through snow-topped woods. We very carefully bought gloves, hats, rain pants, hiking boots and more gear than any ‘normal’ person would own and promptly left everything back at the hotel when the forecast said it would be in the mid-eighties! I was in total shock. There was snow EVERYWHERE! It was still a warm day, so I am not sure what good all of that gear would have done anyway. We put on some light jackets and began our trek THROUGH the snow. It was incredible! Tyler and Alice pointed out every bird that flew by us and even some that we could just hear.
We hiked up to a beautiful ridge and peered through binoculars up the mountain to the base camp. We even spotted some hikers that looked to be planning their trek to the top. On the way back, Tyler found a small hill and talked Peyton into sliding down in the snow. Mom had packed her rain pants, so we poured Peyton into them while Tyler gave him a piggy-back ride up to the top! I don’t think I have ever seen a smile so big on a child! I tried to climb up the hill only to find myself buried up to my knees in snow! Peyton must have slid down about 10 times before we finally conned him into heading back down for lunch!
We had a very short walk over to the Paradise Inn where we dined al fresco in the beautiful mountain air. Evergreen Escapes planned an incredible picnic. There we several people around us that could not believe the spread we were feasting upon! It tasted even better than it looked. We began our meal with an incredible spring salad with a balsamic dressing. Next, there was a selection of sandwiches taking both hands just to lift! I had a turkey sandwich with the most delectable cranberry relish. Every morsel was a sensory delight! A variety of drinks were offered to us, but I selected a Pomegranate Lemonade that was delicious. We were all SO full, even the wide selection of pastries that they offered could not tempt us. I walked around the inside of the Paradise Inn and purchased a handful of postcards for my coworkers back home. We even got a few minutes to lounge by the fireplace before we headed for more adventures.
Our next stop was a huge roaring waterfall. The sound of the thundering falls was deafening. The view was awe-inspiring! Alice snapped several pictures of Peyton and I with the water cascading behind us. We walked across a stone bridge to view the falls and the air was about 20 degrees colder coming off the waterfall. It is hard to describe the sweet smell that it had caused by the freshly melted ice surging behind us.
We quickly jumped back into our van and headed to our last stop. After a short ride, we were hiking once again through the woods towards another breathtaking view. This time, our destination was a small footbridge that traversed another picturesque waterfall. The waterfall swirled and pooled in a small eddy before falling down another set of rocks below. There were exquisite views in every direction and the path was quite easy to navigate.
After quite a full day of adventure, we headed back to Seattle. The culinary delights were still not over as Tyler and Alice had us stop for some delicious hot chocolate and scrumptious pastries to enjoy on the ride home. Tyler suggested one more stop once we arrived in the city to enjoy the quintessential view of downtown and the Space Needle. It was a lovely small park nestled in the Queen Anne district that offered breathtaking views of downtown and the Puget Sound.
I could not recommend a tour company more highly than Evergreen Escapes. They truly made this day as memorable as could be and went out of their way to make sure Peyton enjoyed every second. We could not have imagined a more perfect day!
We were simply exhausted from all of the adventures we had and it was just pure willpower that kept us awake to see the season premier of Burn Notice! I could barely stay awake until the end, and only seconds after it was done did I fall asleep.
Then, all of a sudden, we saw it! There it was, it was everywhere! Something my son had never seen before and I had not seen up close in twenty years! SNOW! True, it was just in small patches hidden in the shadows along side the road, but it was there. It was certainly snow. We stopped at another overlook with a breathtaking view of the mountain which afforded us the opportunity to actually TOUCH the snow. In about 10 seconds, Tyler had already taught Peyton how to form and throw a snowball. Of course, there is no target more fun than Mom, so I suddenly was the target of all of my son’s snowballs and the ensuing laughter was infectious! Please remember however, that it was 80 degrees when we left and we were in shorts and t-shits! When a snowball runs down your back – it is REALLY cold. This, of course, just made Peyton laugh even harder.
We still had not yet arrived in ‘Paradise’, so we climbed back into our ‘adventure limo’ and continued our climb. We passed several waterfalls along the way which Tyler and Alice explained just came from the snow melting from the top of the mountain and would no longer be there in a couple of months.
When we finally arrived at Paradise, I just could not believe my eyes. There was snow EVERYWHERE! Our hike through the woods left out one very exciting adjective. Our hike was going to be through snow-topped woods. We very carefully bought gloves, hats, rain pants, hiking boots and more gear than any ‘normal’ person would own and promptly left everything back at the hotel when the forecast said it would be in the mid-eighties! I was in total shock. There was snow EVERYWHERE! It was still a warm day, so I am not sure what good all of that gear would have done anyway. We put on some light jackets and began our trek THROUGH the snow. It was incredible! Tyler and Alice pointed out every bird that flew by us and even some that we could just hear.
We hiked up to a beautiful ridge and peered through binoculars up the mountain to the base camp. We even spotted some hikers that looked to be planning their trek to the top. On the way back, Tyler found a small hill and talked Peyton into sliding down in the snow. Mom had packed her rain pants, so we poured Peyton into them while Tyler gave him a piggy-back ride up to the top! I don’t think I have ever seen a smile so big on a child! I tried to climb up the hill only to find myself buried up to my knees in snow! Peyton must have slid down about 10 times before we finally conned him into heading back down for lunch!
We had a very short walk over to the Paradise Inn where we dined al fresco in the beautiful mountain air. Evergreen Escapes planned an incredible picnic. There we several people around us that could not believe the spread we were feasting upon! It tasted even better than it looked. We began our meal with an incredible spring salad with a balsamic dressing. Next, there was a selection of sandwiches taking both hands just to lift! I had a turkey sandwich with the most delectable cranberry relish. Every morsel was a sensory delight! A variety of drinks were offered to us, but I selected a Pomegranate Lemonade that was delicious. We were all SO full, even the wide selection of pastries that they offered could not tempt us. I walked around the inside of the Paradise Inn and purchased a handful of postcards for my coworkers back home. We even got a few minutes to lounge by the fireplace before we headed for more adventures.
Our next stop was a huge roaring waterfall. The sound of the thundering falls was deafening. The view was awe-inspiring! Alice snapped several pictures of Peyton and I with the water cascading behind us. We walked across a stone bridge to view the falls and the air was about 20 degrees colder coming off the waterfall. It is hard to describe the sweet smell that it had caused by the freshly melted ice surging behind us.
We quickly jumped back into our van and headed to our last stop. After a short ride, we were hiking once again through the woods towards another breathtaking view. This time, our destination was a small footbridge that traversed another picturesque waterfall. The waterfall swirled and pooled in a small eddy before falling down another set of rocks below. There were exquisite views in every direction and the path was quite easy to navigate.
After quite a full day of adventure, we headed back to Seattle. The culinary delights were still not over as Tyler and Alice had us stop for some delicious hot chocolate and scrumptious pastries to enjoy on the ride home. Tyler suggested one more stop once we arrived in the city to enjoy the quintessential view of downtown and the Space Needle. It was a lovely small park nestled in the Queen Anne district that offered breathtaking views of downtown and the Puget Sound.
I could not recommend a tour company more highly than Evergreen Escapes. They truly made this day as memorable as could be and went out of their way to make sure Peyton enjoyed every second. We could not have imagined a more perfect day!
We were simply exhausted from all of the adventures we had and it was just pure willpower that kept us awake to see the season premier of Burn Notice! I could barely stay awake until the end, and only seconds after it was done did I fall asleep.
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