Ohanapecosh and Mt. Ranier

With all the hype of the National Park Campground, called Ohanapecosh, I was dying to get out there for a few days and finally dive into the Mt. Rainier mountain range. I was even more eager to get outdoors with my car because I created a customized “car netting” to conceal my trunk and side windows to make it easier to sleep in my vehicle. I put my mom and dad to work as they helped me size and sew it. We sewed magnetic strips into the mesh to easily attach to the top of the car. This made me even more excited to utilize the amount of space that I had.

Mac and I left Seattle early-ish morning with just a sandwich and some water. The drive was only two hours but it felt much longer because of my anxiousness. Another reason why I wanted to come to this specific spot is because Ohanapecosh is a 180 spot, 5 loop, campground with a river dividing it; it has exotic trails bordering the park. Once we arrived at the end of the road, we circled the two available loops and chose spot #C23, right on a small peninsula over the rushing river. I finished my sandwich but started to worry about my almost non-existent food supply for the night. The closest city was an hour away but I did recall some small signs for “snacks and groceries” about 30 minutes away.

Mac was loving his 50 foot circumference around our camp spot. But when I mentioned a walk, he was ready to explore. Mac had to get a root canal the day before so I wanted to take it easy on him and give him an enjoyable experience while he was healing. I can tell that he really loves to camp, he loves smelling and walking the exciting paths of life and getting outside of his home. We decided to walk the various trails departing from the campsite. The first one we explored was called “Hot Springs Trail” because of the small hot spring that ran through the woods. I am obsessed with hotsprings, even this little creation of a hot spring blew my mind. While we were walking, I looked down and saw a small stream of running water. I bent down to touch it and it was warm! I followed it down until I found the largest collection of sulfuric water. It was a 3 by 3 hole containing the hot water. I wanted Mac to go in or at least put my feet in, but it was surprisingly hot. This was a unique feature of the park and one that is so cool! After the small self guided tour, we continued on the trail to get some more walking in. Mac started to slow down after a few miles so headed back to our camp site.

It was about 6pm when we got back to the site; I fed and gave Mac his meds and then worried about my own survival. I didn’t bring any snacks or substance and started to think creatively. I always have some essentials hidden in my car, so I knew I wasn’t totally out of luck but was gonna suffer a bit. I had my propane top, some dehydrated food, pasta noodles, water, and a bowl. I decided to eat the dehydrated granola and milk and that was it for the night. I installed my netting and was enjoying some downloaded movies on my new 12.9 inch iPad pro.

The next morning I was starving so I drove 30 minutes away from the campground to the hotel that sold groceries. I picked up some water, trail mix, cookies, and other unhealthy snacks. Mac and I then headed back towards the campground and entered the Mt. Ranier National park. I did not have any final destinations so I just drove through the park hoping to find a few good hikes. Mac and I walked through a small loop trail that displayed amazing views of river canyons rushing through the park. After that, I kept driving and found a trailhead for Snow Lake. It didn’t look too crowded and it had the word “lake” in it, so Mac and I started the 1.2 mile hike. Dogs aren’t typically allowed on national park trails so I always have to be super aware when taking Mac with me. The hike was fairly easy but felt much longer than 1.2 miles. We walked through lush green trails and then eventually down a hill that led to two different lakes. I decided to carry on to snow lake, and without surprise, snow started to fall from the sky. I think Mac was a bit confused how the weather went from 80 degrees and hot to 30 degrees and snow between his paws. We were only 250 feet away from the lake when Mac decided to stop walking, so I carried him up the mountain side rocks to get a great view of the lake. I wish I could have gone further, but with Mac’s recent surgery, I decided not to push him. I can’t wait to explore more of the national park, it was an amazing trip to Rainier, one I had been earning to take!

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