Alpine Scrambling in Paradise
Mount Rainier National Park
A weekend in Paradise. That's the Paradise base area of Mount Rainier National Park to be exact. There's a reason it is called Paradise and this weekend fit the bill - tons of snow, not a cloud in the sky, epic views, and temps up to 60 degrees. The Mount Rainier National Parks Service reports over 200 inches (16 feet) of snow at the Paradise base this winter season. The snow will certainly be around for awhile on the mountain and was stacked high in the parking lot - but the roads are dry now! As winter has faded to spring, and the temperatures trend warmer, it is a great time of year to be on the mountain for some alpine snow scrambling!
Scramble Day 1: April 17
On the first day of my weekend in Paradise I adventured from the Paradise Visitor Center up the snow covered Skyline Divide Trail to Panorama Point (elevation 6,900 feet). All along the way I was treated to in your face views of Mount Rainer and the Nisqually Glacier. I made slow progress up the mountain thanks to stopping every few feet to gawk at the landscape and take photos. On the horizon to the south the big nearby volcanoes were out - Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood. Once reaching Paradise Point I sat down on a rock, ate a snack, and enjoyed the 360 degree views before returning back to Paradise the same way I had come up. Plenty of people out scrambling, skiing, split boarding, and snowshoeing. It is pretty cool all the ways you can traverse up/down a snow covered volcano!
Scramble Day 2: April 18
On the second day of my weekend in Paradise I met up with my Mountaineers alpine scrambling group for a fun day practicing our snow travel skills and completing a mini-scramble loop. I am currently taking a course to enhance my skills and experience in snow and rock scrambling. Because...want to get to a mountain peak where the trails don't take you? Yes I do! By chance I landed in a group of 6 bad a** women and we've made a good team, had fun, and learned a lot. Credit to them for sharing many of these pictures below that we took for each other.
This time of year the big mountains are all snow covered - so we've learned and practiced steep snow travel skills, proper use of an ice axe, walking in crampons, glissading, how to self-arrest if you slip on a steep incline, and also some avalanche safety. For a laugh, enjoy the action shots and video of me practicing ice axe self arrest. After practicing our skills we headed out on a short scramble loop roughly along the route of the Golden Gate Trail to the Skyline Divide Trail, up/over Panorama Point, and back to Paradise via the Skyline Divide Trail. Of course all the trails are snow covered, so effectively you can make your own route or follow existing boot paths where they exist. Great day with a great scramble crew!
This time of year the big mountains are all snow covered - so we've learned and practiced steep snow travel skills, proper use of an ice axe, walking in crampons, glissading, how to self-arrest if you slip on a steep incline, and also some avalanche safety. For a laugh, enjoy the action shots and video of me practicing ice axe self arrest. After practicing our skills we headed out on a short scramble loop roughly along the route of the Golden Gate Trail to the Skyline Divide Trail, up/over Panorama Point, and back to Paradise via the Skyline Divide Trail. Of course all the trails are snow covered, so effectively you can make your own route or follow existing boot paths where they exist. Great day with a great scramble crew!