Italian Exchange – Mount Rainier National Park
Our Italian Exchange kicked off with a visit to Mount Rainier National Park.
Our first stop was Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA with over 40 species of native Northwest animals. The Northwest Trek forest is a habitat filled with native woodland and wetland animals. We enjoyed the playful river otters, adorable badgers, splashing beavers, the snowy white owls, eagles, etc. and the bear bridge overlooking the grizzlies and black bears. After enjoying a picnic at the Park we headed to Mt. Rainier.
Hoping to see Mt. Rainier in all of her glory we decided to head to Paradise first however; it was overcast and the Mountain was not visible. We did a short hike to Myrtle Falls and watched the movie at the Jackson Visitor Center. The time had now come to head to our accommodations at the Lazy Bear Creekside Cabin and Coho Cabins in Ashford just outside of the Park entrance to settle in before dinner.
Tuesday after breakfast we drove to Longmire, the original Park Headquarters. The original 1916 headquarters building now houses a museum which offers local history, area information, and a gift shop. Today there were two hike choices … Rampart Ridge or Lake Trail from Paradise to Longmire via Reflection Lake. Highlights after dinner were the Italians’ child-like excitement in roasting marshmallows and making s'mores plus the Italian campfire songs that followed!
Wednesday we had two choices of hikes: the Skyline Trail to the Golden Gate Cutoff or continuing on up to Panorama Point. On a clear day, Panorama Point provides stunning views of the Paradise valley, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and even Mount Hood. Sadly it was overcast, rainy and very windy, so the Mountain was not visible however the group was enthusiastic and headed to Panorama Point committed to making it to the top regardless! The Italians were amazed to find a small rock building with a toilet at the top of Panorama Point! Returning back to our cabins to shower, etc. we later met at the main cabin for happy hour followed by a delicious dinner created and prepared by Toni Williams. After each meal the Italian women were a force to be reckoned when it was time to do the dishes. They rocked!
After enjoying breakfast on Thursday we packed up to head home. Our stop along the way was the Metal Sculpture Park in Ashford. The Park is a random collection of animals, monsters, motorcycle riders, and structures. All materials were found and created by the artist. It’s definitely worth a stop!
Submitted by Kendra Wanzenried