I was awakened this morning to the faint sounds of “Dreamweaver” by Gary Wright playing somewhere in the distance. Coupled with someone walking around on the old floorboards above, it made for a strange alarm clock. For the next two hours I drifted in and out of sleep, then noticed that the enormous clock read 7:37AM. It’s go time!
I jump out of bed, throw on my climbing clothes, grab my pack, stop by the cafe for a tall coffee, and return my room key. I drop my extra duffel bag at the RMI shed for safekeeping and then jump on the bus for the trip to Paradise, the point of departure for our climb of Mount Rainier.
After hitting the bathroom, ensuring we all have water, and getting a quick pep talk, we start off at 9:30AM from the visitor center area of Paradise (elevation 5,400 feet). We climb steadily on the asphalt walkway, then further as the trail becomes a mixture of dirt, volcanic rock, glacial melt, and snow. Wildflowers are in abundance at this time of year, the scarlet paintbrush, pasqueflowers, broadleaf lupines, and a myriad of others cast an astounding array of blue, violet, yellow, and red across the green and brown landscape. As we climb higher, we begin to leave the crowds behind. Our plan is to climb an hour at a time, then stop for short 10 to 15 minute breaks to rehydrate and refuel.
At 11:40AM we stop to take a lunch break. We are now above the trees and the alpine line at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet. I gulp down water, eat a powerbar, some ritz, and we set off once again. We slowly but steadily ascend the Muir Snowfield, named for John Muir, the noted conservationist who climbed Rainier in 1888.
The air continues to thin and breathing becomes tough. As the hours drone on, I start into my rhythm, taking a brief momentary rest at each step. Each pause of a straightened leg adds up over time and helps the body to rest even as you continue to climb. Step 1, breathe, step 2, breathe, step 3, pressure breath. The pressure breath is a forceful exhale of carbon dioxide which helps to pressurize your lungs to absorb more oxygen. Staring at my feet, looking for the subtle changes in the surface of the snow to determine where to best place my next step, then occasionally looking around and admiring the beauty of the creation around me. For me, climbing is elemental, as I begin to climb, a billion thoughts fly through my mind, but as time wears on, rhythm and the next step becomes the focus. I settle into a meditative kind of state, but one that is exhilarating.
At 2:45PM we reach Muir Camp at 10,000 feet. Everyone feels strong and we spend time hanging out, taking photos, and organizing gear for the climb ahead. The weather has been wonderful up until this point, sunny and a slight breeze. Muir Camp is home to a ranger station, and a few huts, one of which is RMI’s. The vibe here is one of excitement, and with the historic stone and log huts flying Tibetan prayer flags against the picturesque mountain it feels like a different world.
At 4:00PM the team gets together for an upper mountain briefing. After the briefing we roam around camp and get ready to settle in for the night, or shall I say the day? The RMI hut is about the size of a rectangular shipping container, but is made out of 2x4s and plywood. It’s chock full of sleeping bunks and can probably hold 24 people or so. I grabbed a lower bunk and put down my sleeping bag, then packed up and organized what was necessary for the impending summit attempt. The guides had hot water available at 5PM. My dinner was freeze dried Cajun chicken and beans cooked with the hot water, then I had some stroganoff-like noodles also cooked in the same manner. 
I finished it off with an entire package of beef jerky, a red vine, and a few cookies. No time for cooking up here today. Roamed around camp and took some photos. The sky is a bit hazy from the forest fires but the haze mostly looks to be below us. Mount Adams can be seen peaking through the top of the haze. It’s breaktakingly majestic up here. Off to catch some sleep now at 6:15pm. It’s tough with a noisy snorer, a bunch of smelly climbers, and an excruciatingly loud door.
Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
Donate online here:
http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7034
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The Summit for Someone benefit climb series raises money for Big City Mountaineers. BCM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides outdoor wilderness mentoring programs for at-risk teens. The mission of Big City Mountaineers is “enhancing the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences.”
With your help and my summit attempt, the BCM program will reach at-risk teens nationwide (over 2,600 program days last year!). I’m seeking to raise $4000 for the organization. Thank you for considering donating on my behalf. Get out there, do good, and have fun!
—
Brennan Pang (brennan) is co-founder and COO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Had a tough time sleeping last night, perhaps it’s a bit of the pre-trip adrenaline jitters. I got up around 6AM and packed up the gear and food I needed for the day. I ate some strawberry poptarts, drank some water, then stopped by the cafe to grab a cup of coffee and finish up the blogpost from yesterday. The team met up at 8AM and headed out on the bus towards Paradise, a 45 minute drive up the road.
Paradise is home to a national park visitor center (with a small exhibit and informational area upstairs great for families), a lodge, and the start of many trailheads. After about an hour of hiking through an astonishing array of vibrant wildflowers, and passing a few cheeky marmots, we reached our training area, a large snowfield with a 40 degree slope.
After taking a brief break, we started our training. We learned (or received refreshers) on glacier travel, the use of our ice axes, climbing as a rope team, and other basic safety necessities of mountaineering. We practiced climbing as well as falling (to practice stopping ourselves). The sun was out in full force today, making for a warm but otherwise enjoyable day. It felt good to review the basics and to get to know each other as a team. Everyone did a stellar job, which bodes well for our upcoming ascent of Mount Rainier.
My trail lunch today consisted of Ritz crackers, oatmeal cookies, trail mix, and water. Satisfying enough for me, though I have a few more substantial items for the actual climb. We finished at around 3:30PM and headed back to Ashford on the bus. Smelly, but mostly no worse for the wear! We returned to find the power out in the entire town. Looking forward to a giant dinner, then an early bedtime.
Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
Donate online here:
http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7034
—
The Summit for Someone benefit climb series raises money for Big City Mountaineers. BCM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides outdoor wilderness mentoring programs for at-risk teens. The mission of Big City Mountaineers is “enhancing the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences.”
With your help and my summit attempt, the BCM program will reach at-risk teens nationwide (over 2,600 program days last year!). I’m seeking to raise $4000 for the organization. Thank you for considering donating on my behalf. Get out there, do good, and have fun!
—
Brennan Pang (brennan) is co-founder and COO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Arrived in Ashford, WA just before 3PM with extended family and my 7 year old son. We grabbed some ice cream at the bunkhouse cafe as I checked in. I headed over to the Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. office afterwards while the kids began climbing on one of the three climbing walls nearby. I embraced my son and said goodbyes before heading to the climb orientation. It looks like we’ve got a great team of 18 or so from across the US and Canada. We’ve even got one woman who flew in from Stockholm, Sweden. We’re split into two groups. The primary guide for my team is Seth Waterfall, a great name for a mountaineering guide!
After some intros to our teammates the guides started into a slideshow presentation where they talked about Rainier, some of it’s history, and the founding of RMI in 1969 by Lou Whittaker. They also covered the principles of the leave no trace ethos, then briefed us on the role of the guide, mountain safety, and finally the route itself. After the presentation we took a brief break and then broke into our respective teams and went through an hour or so of gear check. The gear check consisted of describing each piece of gear and clothing and checking that each person had what was necessary for the climb. It was a good time to make some adjustments. For instance, I had brought a few duplicate warm layers of clothing just in case not knowing the specific mountain conditions. The guides helped everyone whittle down to the essentials and pointed out gear items to add where necessary. I was all set, except for the avalanche transceiver which I later picked up from the rental area.
Ashford is a great little Northwest town with some good restaurants, a general store, and the Whittaker Mountaineering and hiking store. I’m staying at the historic and reasonably priced Whittaker Bunkhouse, originally built in 1908 to house single logging and mill workers during the booming timber industry.
No mobile phone coverage in the area, extremely spotty to say the least, but the bunkhouse has wifi. There are 3 climbing walls near the RMI office that you are free to climb on, so I spent a bit of time bouldering and walking around. The weather is a comfortable high 70s, but up on the mountain it promises to be cold. Mount Rainier boasts the highest concentration of glaciers up there in the lower 48 states. Good night for now, got to escape from those mosquitos.
Intro | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
Donate online here:
http://www.summitforsomeone.org/main.php?page=4&climber=7034
—
The Summit for Someone benefit climb series raises money for Big City Mountaineers. BCM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which provides outdoor wilderness mentoring programs for at-risk teens. The mission of Big City Mountaineers is “enhancing the lives of under-resourced urban teens through transformative outdoor experiences.”
With your help and my summit attempt, the BCM program will reach at-risk teens nationwide (over 2,600 program days last year!). I’m seeking to raise $4000 for the organization. Thank you for considering donating on my behalf. Get out there, do good, and have fun!
—
Brennan Pang (brennan) is co-founder and COO of Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
There seems to be a never ending list of family friendly activities in our nation’s National Parks. Hiking, auto touring, and wildilfe viewing are among the most popular; however many parks offer incredible and unique opportunities for adventure. Here are 15 exciting ways to experience the National Parks with your family:
1. Take a boat tour of Everglades National Park: There is no way to better experience the alligator filled river of grass than from the water. The National Park service offers narrated boat tours of the famed 10,000 Islands area. Explore a wilderness teeming with birds and reptiles while enjoying a tranquil ride across these endangered wetlands.
2. Snorkel in the warm waters of Biscayne National Park: Whether your family is discovering a mangrove ecosystem or admiring the fish on a tropical reef, everyone is certain to have a great time in the water. Downtown Miami may be within sight but Biscayne may as well be a world away.
Photo courtesy National Park Service
3. Take a guided canoe trip down Congaree National Park’s Cedar Creek: Free ranger guided canoe trips are offered to families with children over the age of 5 through the nation’s largest remaining old-growth flooplain forest. Imagine peacefully paddling through the some of the tallest trees in the Eastern US with nothing but the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling accompanying you as your canoe glides silently across the water. White-tailed deer, otter, and raccoon sightings are possible.
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4. Watch the sunrise, then bike down the volcano at Haleakala National Park: 
My absolute favorite memory of my trip to Maui was getting up in the middle of the night, taking a van to the top of Haleakala, watching the sunrise, then hopping on a rented bike and coasting down the volcano. We followed the twisting road as we dropped several thousand feet in elevation until we were back at sea level. The views were amazing and the bike ride was a piece of cake since it was all downhill!
5. Take a mule ride or a white water rafting trip in Grand Canyon National Park: Riding a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon is a classic National Park experience. The mule tour operators have a near perfect 100 year safety record so anyone at least 4’7″ and under 200lbs should definitely add this adventure to their bucket list. For those looking for an adventure that involves plenty of water and adrenaline, rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon should be at the top of your family vacation list. Trips vary from 1 to 25 days and involve either a hike up or a hike down the canyon.
6. Learn how to climb up granite walls in Yosemite National Park: What better place to have your kids learn the finer points of rock climbing than in Yosemite? The Yosemite Mountaineering School has been helping families scale their first slabs of granite for over 40 years. Is there really a better place for family bonding than 60 feet above the ground?
7. Take a horseback ride to an Old West Cookout in Yellowstone National Park:
Although there are many dining options inside Yellowstone National Park, nothing sounds like more fun than taking a horseback ride out to an Old West Cookout. One or two hour horseback rides through sagebrush, meadows, and woods take you to the spot where the cookout is held. Steak is served along with all you can eat chuckwagon fare. If your children are too young to ride to the cookout by horseback (8 is the minimum age), a stagecoach ride across the sagebrush to the cookout will certainly get everyone in the Old West spirit.
8. Take a carriage tour of Acadia National Park: Experience the famous roads of Acadia just as John D. Rockefeller Jr. intended, in a carriage. Cross cobblestone bridges, weave in and out of the woods, and enjoy incredible views from the comfort of a horse drawn carriage. Can’t you just hear the clip clop of the horses’ hooves just thinking about it?
9. View Cuyahoga Valley National Park from a train: From the comfort of a vintage train car, experience the stunning natural beauty of the Cuyahoga Valley. If you are lucky you might spot white tailed deer grazing or one of 200 bird species that call the park home throughout the year. Be sure to pick up headphones for the audio tour so you can learn the history of this amazing place as it passes by your window.
10. Spend the day on a boat exploring Glacier Bay National Park: The best way for famlies to see the glaciers that are the park’s namesake, is from the water. Vessels will take passengers through iceberg filled water so they can get up close to those massive rivers of ice. The region is teeming with wildlife including bears, moose, sea lions, orcas, mountain goats, puffins, and wolves so don’t forget your camera!
11. Go dogsledding in Denali National Park:
NPS Photo/ Jared Withers
Learn how to mush with North America’s tallest peak as your backdrop. Family trips into Denali on dogsled will create the ultimate winter memories. Wildlife encounters are very likely and some of the animals you might see include moose, caribou, lynx, dall sheep, and wolves. Children as young 12 can learn to drive their very own team.
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12. Learn the basics of caving inside Mammoth Cave National Park: Learn how to descend down cave walls, climb on your hands and knees under low clearance areas, and squeeze through tight passage ways to view parts of the Mammoth Cave system that most visitors never see. Children ages 8-12 can “Trog“- an off trail experience that involves a short hike through the woods and crawling around in rarely visited portions of Mammoth Cave.
13. Kayak into sea caves at Channel Islands National Park: Enjoy the rugged beauty of the Channel Islands from a sea kayak. Spend time as a family paddling through the pristine marine environment surrounding the islands. Beautiful beaches and incredible sea caves are just waiting to be explored. Children as young as 10 can ride tandem in the kayak with their parents.
14. Take a horseback ride at Theodore Roosevelt National Park: There are plenty of National Parks that offer horseback riding, but seeing badlands of North Dakota the way Theodore Roosevelt did is an experience unto itself. Ride the trails and explore the prairie that inspired our former president to become one of word’s leading conservationists. Wild horse, bison, deer, elk, coyote, eagle, and prairie dog sightings are possible.
Photo Courtesy NPS
15. Float down the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park: Explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the Continental US as you raft or canoe down the Rio Grande. Enjoy towering canyon walls and riparian desert flora and fauna as you drift along the US/Mexican border. Children as young as four can float the Colorado Canyon and kids aged seven and older can enjoy a trip through the dramatic Santa Elena Canyon.
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Trekaroo is seeking families who love National Parks! Sign in and share your reviews on Trekaroo. Every review you write over the next 4 weeks can be can be entered in the $1000 Summer of Travel Contest!
Related articles:
- Best Hikes for Tykes in Yosemite National Park
- 15 Family Friendly National Park Adventures
- National Park Junior Ranger Program
- 5 National Monuments Your Family Should Visit
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Sharlene Earnshaw (aka doubleadventure) is Blogger-in-chief for Trekaroo and the blogger behind Double the Adventure.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
