A Day in Paradise

Today was gorgeous so Rebekah and I took her friend, Julia Harris, to Paradise in  Mount Rainier National Park for an unforgettable day of snowshoeing. We ended up climbing almost 2,000 feet as we were surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

Rebekah and Julia work their way up a ridge

Rebekah and I stop for a photo with Rainier in the background.

Rebekah and Julia stop for lunch with Rainier looming in the background

Rebekah and Julia with Mount Adams in the background

Note Rebekah's long shadow as the close of day approaches.  In the background is a steep slope that we climbed then glissaded down.

Rebekah and Julie are silhouetted against the setting sun as they take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

Mount Adams (left) and Mount Saint Helens (right)

As we drove out of the parking lot we were greeted by two foxes. One was black and the other a beautiful white/yellow/red (below).

My only complaint about the entire day is that it was the winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year.

Snowshoe Adventure with Rebekah

Yesterday afternoon Rebekah and I went for a memorable snowshoe adventure above Crystal Mountain. It was cloudy and gray in Enumclaw but once we hit the mountains the skies cleared and it was gorgeous. This was almost the shortest day of the year but we made the most of every minute as the low sun provided a golden warmth to everything around us in this winter wonderland. We climbed almost 2,000 feet to some spectacular views.

Rebekah surveys the wonders of this paradise and the very steep climb we made to get out above the basin/meadow below her.

My little tripod allowed us to get a photo with both of us and Mount Rainier in the background.

Rebekah looks back from the steep climb we just made. (The snow conditions had virtually no risk of avalanche or we never would have made that climb).

We had a nice glissade down the steepest portion of the climb. Rebekah is sliding down in the middle of this photo just above the sun line.

It was a great afternoon with this wonderful and adventerous daughter and an excellent way to celebrate her return home for the holidays. I look forward to similar adventures with the other children over the next couple of weeks.