Yesterday, on the way to going snowshoeing in Mt. Rainier National Park, we didn't realize that we had crossed a river! However, during our guide's excellent talks periodically along the trail (which each time gave us a chance to catch our breath - thank goodness), he made us aware that we HAD crossed over a river on the way to the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise. We had about 20 people in our group, and I was rather happy that there were some small kids to lag behind with me! We snowshoed on top of 16 feet of snow and learned about safety stuff (particularly that falling into a tree well isn't wise), how trees survive the heavy snows (the hemlock's trunk is flexible and bends over while the fir's trunk is rigid but its branches release downward to let the snow slide off), how to get back up after a fall, how animals survive and a bit of Rainier park history. A fun day (particulary in retrospect), and we aren't all that stiff today! Now, we need to go to Paradise during warmer weather to enjoy its spring or summer "look." And I bet we'll realize it when we go over the Nisqually River.
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