By Lakshman Sundar
1.Mt. Rainier2.Narada Falls 3. Lake Near Mt. Rainier 4. The Writer & His Wife At6,400 ft.5. Starry Night Sky
We (my wife, son & I) expeditioned to Mount Rainier which lies at a distance of 80 miles due south-east of Seattle. I first heard about the volcanic Mount Rainier in the 1960s on Voice Of America (VOA) and thenceforth longed to visit this place. Native American Indians referred to the mountain as Talol, which means “mother of waters”.
In 1792, British explorer George Vancouver renamed the mountain as Mount Rainier in honor of his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. Since the official return of Alaska’s Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in the US to its original name Denali in 2015, a similar debate over Mount Rainier has taken place, with talk about retuning to its original name. Mount Rainier National Park is one of Washington State’s most spectacular natural treasures. It is so picturesque that words are feeble and inadequate to describe the real splendour. Nature unravels its breath-taking beauty to the inaudible tunes of God. My God, nature is truly awesome. I was spellbound.
The first 30 miles were uneventful except that we stopped at Auburn for lunch. Then for the next 50 miles we had the biggest feast for the eyes, senses, mind and soul. We would have passed by at least 1 crore trees on each side of the road Yes, 10 million trees each side standing tall close to each other at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 feet and above and 5 ft or more in diameter. The tallest is reported to be 280 ft! I wondered whether I was in a rain forest in Amazonia in Brazil or Redwood Forest in California where trees grow over 300 ft. I immediately coined a new term for these majestic trees on Mt Rainer region: Skyscraper Trees! They are dendrologists’ delights and nature lovers’ nectars. Many trees are standing ramrod straight for thousands of years! Except rain and long sunlight nothing nourishes them. Even hardcore atheists if they see these millions of trees will change their status quo and become a devotee of God.
We halted at the White River named so because of glaciers melting on the water appears white and relaxed for there for a while.
Tallest Volcano
At 14,410 feet high, Mount Rainier is the tallest volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range and the most glaciated peak in the contiguous US. Glaciers, massive rivers of ice up to 750 feet deep flow down on the rocky slopes. Yet, on the summit, steam escapes from deep within the mountain’s core reminding visitors that is it is still active volcano. Dormant but not dead! Paradoxically, several rivers start at the Mount Rainier glaciers.
Narada Falls & Trails
A short but moderately steep walk takes the visitors to a breath-taking view of Narada Falls on the Paradise River near Adytum Sanctuary. Adytum in Sanskrit means garbha of a temple or sanctuary. On a sunny day, we can see rainbow refracted from the cool spray of the falls. Narada Falls is said to be the most popular because Mt. Rainier Highways cross the falls between its two tiers. The waterfall drops 188 ft in two tiers of 168 and 20 ft respectively. This 2.4-mile out-and-back trail near Paradise Inn takes an average of 1 h 37 min to complete. This is an admired and well -liked area for hiking
Sage Narada himself so learned must have resided here yugas before for a long time and learnt the highest form of truth from the divine teacher Sanat Kumara, the son of Lord Brahma before proceeding to Akshayuk Pass now in Nunavut, Canada.
Mount Rainier National Park, covering 235,612 acres (370 sq. miles) includes such well-known sites as Paradise, Sunrise Point at 6,400 feet, the highest point in the park accessible by car from where we enjoyed the loveliness of the mountain and its serene surroundings. There are beautiful lakes, 25 named glaciers and wildflower carpeted sub-alpine meadows. Two volcanic craters packed with geothermal heat keep the crater rims free of snow and ice.
Crystal Mountain Resort – Competitive ski and snowboard events are hosted here each year.
Wonderland Trail – The Wonderland Trail Adventure (93 miles circumnavigating (Giri Pradashanam) Mt. Rainier is a serious trek for the native Indians and skilled and trained individuals. The trail is a distinguishing feature of Mount Rainier National Park. Passing swift rivers, the trail leads to commanding views of Mt. Rainier cloaked in icy glaciers and hikers witness the multi-faces of Mt. Rainier, carved by glaciers.
For thousands of years Mount Rainier has been an important place of Pacific North West Indian People who revere it as a holy place. Nearly two million people from around the world visit Mount Rainier National Park each year. On a clear day visitors can see as far as 300 miles as Corvallis in the southern neighbouring state of Oregon, in the US and Victoria, the capital of Canadian province of British Columbia. Owing to incessant transit of automobiles, we could not spot any wild animals although these forests abound with black bears, mountain goats and other animals. We saw a squirrel at the cliff at Sun Rise Point with Lord Rama drawn three lines on its back.
Starry Night Sky
At night above Mount Rainier, millions of stars illuminate the night sky and one can see our galaxy-the Milky Way which though looking stationary is actually orbiting @ 600,000 miles per hour. If an aeroplane has such a speed, then the whole earth can be covered in 150 seconds or 2.5 minutes. Really Mt. Rainier is stargazers’ paradise. Nearly full Moon appears like an exhibition balloon!
Accommodations
Accommodations in Rainier region are plentiful. They include historic inns within Mount Rainier National Park, lodges in hotels resorts, hotels, spas, mountain vacation retreats and vacation home rentals, bed and breakfasts, cabins, a tree house, and more in surrounding areas.
In short, what started off as an expedition ended as a pilgrimage. Mt. Rainier is both Nature’s Heaven and Haven . It is worth visiting twice! ______________________________________________________
The writer Lakshman Sundar , is a Vashi, Navi Mumbai based PR & Media Consultant and a Freelance Journalist who just returned from the US after nearly six months’ visit.
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