| « Day 13 |
Road Trip
West 2003
|
Day 15 » |
Date:
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Route:
» Touring around Federal Way
» WA-99 to I-5 South
» I-5 to WA-18 East
» WA-18 to WA-164 East
» WA-164 to WA-410 East
» WA-410 to Sunrise Park Road to White River CampDistance: 75 miles
Excursions: 142 miles
Trip Total: 3936 miles
Log:
Jenn's 34th birthday was awesome. Except for the airplanes.
We drove through the park and found the one and only Pokémon Man, so his car said at any rate. We searched around Federal Way and found the house where Rob grew up, on Marine Hills, and his first elementary school. Rob's family moved to Toronto, Ontario after Seattle...and then to Houston. Rob was a "Customs Child" and moved around as much as a military brat.
Then on the road to Mt. Ranier National Park and White River Camp. For her birthday, Jenn wanted to touch a glacier, and we did. We climbed 2325 feet (4400' to 6725') to the first glacier we could reach and hiked about 9- or 10-mile round trip. The experience was incredible.
After setting up camp quickly, we hiked up to Glacier Basin. Unfortunately, Glacier Basin only provided a view of the glaciers, so we were on our own to make it up the slope as best as we could. A rough path had been blazed by climbers, so we mostly followed it. However, Rob's shoes had practically no tread left on them, making the trip back down the steep, gravelly trail a little too nerve-wracking for Jenn. After he nearly tumbled over the edge of a gorge, Jenn chose to walk in the lead, so as to avoid watching Rob slip and slide his way down (or, er, off) the mountain.
After getting back to camp, we decided to drive over to Paradise Lodge for a birthday drink for Jenn. The trip is approximately 45 miles long through winding mountain passes and wonderful sights of the park. Once there, sitting in the lodge and drinking a beer, we realized that we probably wouldn't have enough gas to get back to the camp and out of the park the next day. So, a trip to the nearest gas station was in order, 25 miles away in Ashford, WA, outside the park boundaries.
When we got back to camp at midnight, exhausted and sore, we still thought the 142-mile round trip for that beer was worth it.
» Day 15
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