We have been lucky here in Seattle area this weekend – the weather has been awesome, sunny and warm. I have spent most of my weekend outside; riding my mountain bike yesterday and hiking Noble Knob Trail near Mt Rainier today.
Noble Knob is one of the popular trails in the state, and also one of the rare trails nearby that I hadn’t hiked before. I try to avoid these busy routes hence this spot has been forever on the to-do list. I had a great plan to make it to the trail head before the sunrise but as you can probably guess, both Tassu and I slept in.
However, we made it there somewhat early in the morning, and were the first hikers of the day. The forest road up to the trailhead was a real experience again. This time the sign warned about the road’s unsuitability for trailers and inexperienced mountain drivers. It was a rough ride for small Audi but we made it – no visible fluid leaks, no new scratches.
Views from the trail were spectacular. Although I have been on the summit of Mt Rainier so many times, seeing it always gets me fascinated and I can’t help myself but start to plan a new climb up to the tallest mountain in Washington. Probably will be there again in a few weeks although Rainier has been classified as the most dangerous mountain in North America.
The August issue of Backpacker magazine listed most dangerous or challenging outdoors experiences in the USA, including the dangers of Rainier. Nothing surprising in the article though – Rainier is a tall mountain, and accessible for number of wanna-be climbers who are not prepared for killer storms, crevasses, avalanches and the elevation gain, nor have needed skills or stamina to climb such a mountain.
Rainier looks calm and friendly – if a mountain can look friendly – but up there, there is a real wilderness and nature’s laws apply.
Tassu and I made it up to the Noble Knob somewhat quickly, in less than a couple of hours, even though we stopped several times to take pictures and Tassu tried to catch chipmunks. On our way up we probably saw more chipmunks in a couple of hours than we have seen in the whole summer.
Tassu also showed today how smart he can be. On our way down, we started to meet other hikers as well as some mountain bikers. I was very proud of my little beagle who stepped aside when told him to do so, and let people and other dogs pass us. Similarly, he also seems to know words up, down, right and left. Sometimes I am very surprised how many things he actually can do. When he wants.
I can only hope that everybody tried to train their four-legged, furry friends at least to know the basics of social behavior. Most of the time we meet nice, well-behaving dogs and their owners on trails. Today the only not-so-nice surprise was a mountain biker with his big retriever. The dog didn’t know a whole lot about the discipline but was running here and there. Also Tassu and I got scared when this pony-size dog rushed from the bushes towards us… Luckily no accidents nor dog fights. It was another perfect day in paradise.
Some pictures below.
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Mt Rainier
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My favorite mountain
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Tassu
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Alpine Lake Views
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Still blooming
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Alpine meadows
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Noble Knot, 6011ft
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Noble Knot views
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Lost Lake
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Views
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Meadows
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More views
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Path back home