Mount Ranier, Day 2

On Saturday morning the kids woke up early so we got out the door quickly and set off to find the Mount Ranier park. We made an early wrong turn but when we finally had a phone signal and could figure out where we were (roads do not always have clear labels out in the wilderness) it ended up we had taken a faster route. We were relieved after the frustration of a wrong turn to be quite close to the Stevens Canyon entrance, and about .25 miles into the park we stopped at Grove of the Patriarchs. This was a fairly flat hike a little more than a mile long which the girls did easily. The trees were as large as anticipated, and the stream was beautiful.



The girls loved throwing rocks in the stream. Xander spent his time here mad that we wouldn't let him walk right into the stream.



The hike ends in a boardwalk loop, where Xander got to stretch his legs (he spent most of the time in a backpack).







When we got back to the car we drove down Stevens Canyon until we got to Reflection Lakes, where we had to stop and see the snow!



After a quick stop at the lake, we continued on to park at Paradise, where there is a nice visitor center. We ate our snack there, and then played on the snow a little. We had intended to hike here too before we knew that the trail was still snow-covered, but ultimately I think we were all happier that we didn't push very hard. Now we also know that we should check the status online before we go so we are prepared.



We drove down the canyon some more and tried to park at the trail to Christine Falls. We ate lunch in the car while we waited for a parking spot to open up and Xander napped, but after awhile we decided to call it a day, let the little one keep sleeping, and try again early Sunday morning. The kids watched a movie back at the cottage, and we ended the day with dinner and more s'mores!