{"id":1960,"date":"2020-11-21T18:40:08","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T18:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=1960"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:00:00","slug":"gallery-a-snowy-walk-in-paradise-mount-rainier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/gallery-a-snowy-walk-in-paradise-mount-rainier\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallery: a snowy walk in Paradise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you call a place \u2018Paradise\u2019 it had better be somewhere special! Luckily this area of Mount Rainier National Park really does live up to the name bestowed on it by Virinda Longmire in 1885. She was the daughter-in-law of explorer James Longmire (who lends his name to another area of the park) and when she first saw this spot, carpeted with wildflowers, she is said to have exclaimed, \u2018Oh, what a paradise!\u2019<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paradise lies on the south side of Mount Rainier, at a height of 5,400 feet. Visiting the second week in July we still encountered snow on the ground here; and that isn\u2019t unusual, as it is normally snow-free only from mid\/late July to September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nisqually Vista Trail<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This trail is named for the Nisqually Glacier, the birthplace of the Nisqually River on the slopes of Mount Rainier. It is a loop trail with a viewpoint overlooking the glacier at its furthest point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pine
The start of the trail<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The 1.2 mile walk is described as ‘easy’ but I was struggling a little on that trip with a bad knee, so it felt like a bit of a challenge, especially as snow still covered the trail in places. I managed it however, and was very pleased that I did, as it was a wonderful walk.<\/p>\n\n\n