Day 18-19: Rainier

After leaving Crater Lake, we made a brief pitstop in Portland to stay with friends. Their generous hospitality made for a refreshing and fun few days. We left feeling recharged and half-an-hour later we were across the border and on our way to Mt. Rainier. We listened to a topical Mt. Rainier podcast on the way and learned a few fun facts:
1. Mount St. Helens gets all the volcanic hype, but Mt. Rainier is actually considered to be the most potentially dangerous volcano in Washington--it's actually one of the few dozen most dangerous in the world
2. Mt. Rainier is covered by glaciers. If Mt. Rainier were to erupt, the lava would melt those glaciers and mix into a river of concrete known as Lahar. Lahars can flow up to 40mph, engulfing everything in their path.
Safe. Relaxing. Just what you want to hear about your vacation destination, you know? Here are a few photos from our stay

We stopped at the first turn-off inside the park to get our first glimpse of Rainier


Just a few big glaciers on a bigger mountain 

Spring had already brought life to the mountain base



Rainier towering over the surrounding mountains



Since when did trees grow at right angles?!







The top trip photo

A casual 180ft waterfall


The first waterfall inspired us to hike back to see another




Abby tryna not fall in

Glacier river fed by the mountain








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