Mt. Rainier - Camp Muir

Alisha says: We visited the Paradise (south) side of Mt. Rainier on a day with the forecast calling for warm and sunny conditions. The weather was great (although there was some smoke making the view a little hazy in the morning) for our hike to Camp Muir. Camp Muir sits at an elevation of 10,188 ft and is base camp for people who attempt to summit Mt. Rainier. The hike was 9 miles round trip with 4,700 ft. of elevation gain. We got an early start on the trail and although there were a few people on the lower trails, once we started up the Muir snowfield we only saw one other group. The trail starts out on a paved path that eventually turns to dirt and then you hit the Muir snowfield, which turns into an ice field until you finally reach Camp Muir. The hike was awesome and we were treated to up close magnificent views of the mountain. We could see different glaciers, see an ice cave in the distance, and hear the rumble of the glacier ice shifting and moving up higher on the mountain. The last part of the trail was the hardest as it gets really steep, wet and icy. We even had to cross over a few crevasses that had opened up in the ice. Although you could hop over them it really made me nervous because it was really icy and slippery and when you looked down they just opened up into a deep crack that you could not tell how far down it went. Once we reach the camp, which includes a few small buildings and restrooms, we rested and enjoyed the view while we enjoyed our lunch. A helicopter delivered some construction supplies while we were there. It was getting windy and we were getting cold so we started our journey down then mountain. It was tricky going down because of the slick conditions. Dave slipped a handful of times. There were a few sections where it was easier to slide than try and walk. On the way down we passed a bunch of people headed up and we once again were glad we got an early start. Mt. Rainier is really amazing!