New year, same resolution. If you kept up with my journey in 2018, you already know that I decided months ago to keep this resolution, to hike a trail I’ve never explored before at least once a month, going into 2019. It was an easy decision, and although the resolution hasn’t changed, the journey will be completely different as I experience at least twelve more trails for the first time. Living in Nashville, I don’t have quick access to as many trails as I would if I lived in a place like Denver, but I’m not worried about running out of options any time soon. Plus, with travel plans between now and July that include two trips to California and one to Colorado (for my wedding!), I’ll have plenty of opportunities for new adventures in wild and beautiful spaces away from home. If my first new hike of 2019, at Mount Rainier National Park, was any indication of what’s to come in this new year, this spectacular adventure’s only getting better with time.
At the end of last month, I spent a week in Washington, including a few days with my aunt and uncle (and their sweet golden retriever) in Port Angeles and a few days in Seattle with a friend who recently moved there from Nashville. January is about as far as it gets from peak hiking season in Washington, but I wanted to be there for my friend’s thirtieth birthday on the 27th. While the opportunities for exploring new trails are limited at this time of year, that wasn’t the purpose of this vacation. Regardless, I was fortunate enough to enjoy a perfect balance of indoor and outdoor activities with people who mean much more to me than my pursuit of adventures in the wild.
Surprisingly, the weather in Port Angeles and Seattle was milder than the weather in Nashville during my visit. Of course, that statement only applies to the coastal areas where I spent my time during this trip. Wintry road conditions kept me close to sea level and away from significantly colder temperatures at higher altitudes. The snow capped peaks of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges dominated the skyline above these coastal cities, a constant reminder of the extreme variation in geography that makes this region so beautiful.
Heavy snow essentially eliminates access to most of the interior of Mount Rainier National Park in January, but our options were further limited by the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. Even in winter, the National Park Service operates snow plows on roads in and out of the park to provide year-round access to certain areas that visitors can safely explore in the offseason. However, employees of the National Park Service are also employees of the federal government, deemed “nonessential” and therefore unable to work during the shutdown. With nobody around to plow the roads or update park websites to provide reliable information on park conditions, national parks succumb to the whims of nature during a shutdown. With this in mind, we honestly didn’t know what to expect when we drove out to Mount Rainier National Park from Seattle.
We approached Mount Rainier National Park via Highway 165, south of the Carbon River entrance in the northwest corner of the park. We left the pavement behind us about twelve or fifteen miles before we entered the park, and the road was ripe with potholes, so this journey consumed a lot more time than we’d expected. The scenery, however, was certainly worth it. As the road climbs upward towards the park boundary, there are countless overlooks and breathtaking views of the park’s namesake attraction, Mount Rainier, which towers over everything else in the park. Although Mount Rainier measures a few dozen feet shorter than Mount Elbert in Colorado, the peak that Andy and I climbed on my thirtieth birthday last September, its appearance is much more imposing. Whereas Mount Elbert is surrounded on all sides by dozens of mountains whose peaks rest within several hundred feet of its own, Mount Rainier stands more than 2,200 feet taller than the next highest mountain in the region. The severe contrast creates a stunning visual impact.
Highway 165 becomes Mowich Lake Road after entering the park and eventually leads to the trailhead for the Tolmie Peak Trail, widely regarded as one of the most scenic trails at Mount Rainier National Park. During the winter months, however, this road is closed to vehicle traffic shortly after it enters the park. We took the road as far as we could, and it led us to the trailhead for the Paul Peak Trail, so that’s the trail we hiked.
This out-and-back trail covers 6.3 miles, round trip, leading down into a canyon through a gorgeous forest of massive pine and cedar trees. There wasn’t any snow or ice on the trail, making this one a solid option if you’re looking for a trail inside the park that’s easily accessible as a day trip from Seattle in January. Throughout the first two miles of the hike, the dense evergreen forest obscures any view of Mount Rainier. In fact, we couldn’t see anything beyond the trees for most of the hike, which admittedly, felt really discouraging. Since none of us knew anything about this trail prior to our hike, we eventually accepted the fact that this one may not lead us past any substantial overlooks with views of the mountains or valley below.
About a mile away from our turn around point, where the Paul Peak Trail feeds into the Wonderland Trail (an epic 93-mile loop around Mount Rainier), the trees began to open up enough every now and then to expose brilliant views of Mount Rainier and the valley floor below us. Every time we reached one of these spots, we stopped to stare in awe at the magnitude of the mountain before us. It’s a difficult thing to describe, almost like seeing Denali in Alaska for the first time. Witnessing a mountain like that at relatively close range, a mountain that makes all of its surrounding mountains look like ant hills, is a spiritual experience (for me, anyways). It’s a humbling reminder that those of us lucky enough to have the opportunity to explore this planet won’t ever really understand how big it is. As humans, we’re not supposed to understand it. However, that enchanting mystery of experiencing something wild and unfamiliar drives our innate desire to see as much of this world as we can while we’re here.
In conclusion, there are things I loved about the Paul Peak Trail and things that would make me hesitant to recommend it to others. I loved that this trail was easily accessible from Seattle and provided views of Mount Rainier, in the middle of winter AND during a government shutdown. I’m not sure if any other trail in the park checks all of those boxes. Also, I loved hiking here with close friends who’d also never experienced this trail before. When you’re not sure what to expect on a trail, knowing that you’ll at least have good company makes all the difference.
This trail was a perfect option for us, all things considered, but I’m certain that it’s far from the best one that Mount Rainier National Park has to offer. Of course, I can’t speak from experience. Although this wasn’t my first trip to Washington, I’d never been to Mount Rainier National Park before. Based on the very little I saw of the place, I know I want to go back under circumstances that will allow me to travel deeper into the park and spend more time there. I’ve read dozens of articles and reviews on the best trails to explore in the park, and Paul Peak Trail isn’t on any of them. Again, it’s a gorgeous trail, but pictures and reviews of other trails in the park leave me with little doubt that I’ve yet to see the best of what the park has to offer.
Needless to say, this first new adventure of 2019 fills me with hope and excitement about what’s to come this year, and I can’t wait to see what else is out there.
Love this blog. So glad you had this great adventure!