Mt. Rainier: Monarch Of The Cascades

Astride the Cascades of Central Washington, Mt. Rainier (photo by Roger Wallace) towers above the shores of Puget Sound, the inland waterway that lies to the west of the mountain. The highest peak in the entire Cascade Range at 14,410 feet, Rainier's bulky mass can be seen on the skyline of almost every major city in the vicinity.

The mountain supports the largest single glacier system in the lower 48 states, with 26 officially named glaciers acting as sources for several major Northwest Rivers -- the Nisqually, Puyallup, Carbon, Cowlitz and White Rivers, which produce invaluable sources of hydroelectric power and irrigation for fruits and vegetables.

I've only climbed the mountain once -- dragged up the mountain might be a better way to describe it -- with my father and his band of Mazamas from Portland. Driving to Paradise Lodge and parking in the overnight parking area, we took the easiest route, via Disappointment Cleaver, which required two days and an overnighter at Camp Muir.

Near the summit, altitude becomes an issue for many climbers and summer weekends can cause bottlenecks, but we went on a Wednesday when mountain traffic was reasonable. At Disappointment Cleaver, you're already at 12,300 feet, about 1,000 feet higher than Mt. Hood. At the summit, you feel you're at the top of the world.

Years later as a wilderness ranger for the Glacier Peak Wilderness to the north, I would admire the peak from my better half's lookout on Little Bald Mountain on the Naches Ranger District and my own various and sundry wilderness perches on the Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee Ranger Districts of the Glacier Peak Wilderness.