The mountain was hiding behind a blanket of clouds and cold drizzle. We rode under the rain for most of the day on our way from Kennewick,Wa. to Mt. Rainier National Park. We were prepared to find rain once we got closer to Seattle, but we did not expect it to be so cold. We rode through a Ski area called The White Pass where we stopped to warm up with hot chocolate and snacks. It was snowing a stone's throw away from us in the mountain. We arrived to Mt Rainier and were surprised to see huge piles of snow around the Paradise Lodge. Eva, Tiberiu and Juan stayed at the lodge while Domingo and I headed to the Cougar Rock campground. We would camp there only if it did not mean pitching the tents on top of snow. We were fine, it was a cool place nestled in the woods. We set up camp and went for a hike before sundown.
We woke up to a bright sun, blue skies and white slopes. The massive volcano was not shy at all and it's attraction could be felt. You could not take your eyes away from it. We rode back to Paradise and the area was bustling with outdoor activity. Hikers, bikers, runners, and people ready for summer skiing and snowboarding. We admit it. We were envious. We rode around a totally new mountain and met up to continue our journey.
