Greenzone Online

I wish I could say I climbed to the top of Mount Rainier- but I didn’t. I did however spend four days and three nights backpacking and experiencing this slice of Pacific Northwest scenery (which included the above photographed experience of watching the sunrise above the clouds!).

When two friends from Seattle, Lauren and Lizzie, and I decided to go backpacking one summer they quickly decided on the mountain that blankets the backgrounds of Seattle: Mount Rainier. Lauren, our planner, decided we would hike on part of the Wonderland Trail. National Park Services describes this trail as “one of the best ways to explore Mount Rainier National Park. The trail passes through major life-zones of the park, from lowland forests to subalpine meadows of wildflowers. Passing swift rivers, the trail leads to commanding view of Mount Rainier cloaked in icy glaciers. As the trail circles the mountain, hikers witness the varied faces of Mount Rainier, carved by twenty-five named glaciers”.

And it was all of that. However it was more than the beautiful scenery. This trip taught me the importance and fun of independence. For three nights we set up our housing, prepared the food we brought on our backs and generally took care of each other. If we forgot to place iodine in our water in the morning, we had to dig it out from our packs and wait for it to takes it effect before we could drink refreshing, re-energizing and disease free water. We entertained ourselves with songs and stories. Being in the wilderness left me with a unique feeling of freedom that I was unable to find in any city setting. That’s also one of the beautiful sides of nature- the lessons it teaches you.