Paradise, Mt. Rainier, is just that - Paradise. Steve had the day off Wednesday, February 15th, and we enjoyed a surprisingly warm, sunny, mostly clear day up at the mountain with Grandma. Normally, crammed with people all trying to enjoy the snow park, view, or recreation that it has to offer on the weekend, Paradise was like a ghost town mid-week. The kiddos were great adventure companions and Grandma was gracious and patient with us the entire time. We had no agenda and really hadn't thought out the day very well. Maybe this was for the best. Turns out, despite terrible timing (we didn't get geared up and on the trail until noon, our regular lunch and nap time), Peyton was quite a little trooper and hiked up a surprising distance of the steep terrain by himself and after declaring he was so tired that he wanted to lay down in his own bed and close his eyes, he hitched a ride on my back for a while. Our destination was determined by our hungry tummy's and was a picnic spot, on the snow, with a 360 degree panoramic view. Allison must have been quite taken with the sights as well; overwhelmed perhaps? Or maybe was just overly tired. She spent a fair amount of the time sleeping in the backpack and barely complained when we forced a diaper change in the snow. Revived by lunch we hiked back down again. It's funny how long (and how very steep) the trek seemed traveling by foot, with kids, in the snow. The trek down was a reality check that we really weren't that far from the parking lot after all. Then again, it was also a great reminder that even with kids, you don't have to go far to get a good workout, enjoy the fresh air, breath-taking view and quality family time. Anyone willing to dispute this is welcome to carry a 35-pound 3-year old on their back, up a mountain, in snow. To top off a great snow day, we took a few rides at the sled park, which we had entirely to ourselves! Phew! It was an exhausting, but wonderful day in Paradise.
The hike up, up, up...
The panoramic view
What goes up, must come down, down, down...
The reward at the end: sledding for Peyton and cuddle time for Allison!
No comments:
Post a Comment