A compendium of information and trivia about Mount Ranier and the surrounding national park, with fun facts and statistics in sections on early exploration, the human and natural history of the area, the park service, colorful characters, Indian tribes, park facilities, glaciers, landmarks, events, spiritual aspects, trails, roads, wildlife, activities, and volcanology. Includes b&w photos and maps. c. Book News Inc.
Home to more than 120 alpine plant species, three of which are found nowhere else in the world, Mount Rainier remains a refuge for a diversity of flora and fauna. It is also a magnet for the hundreds of thousands of people who live within sight of its snowy slopes and for millions of visitors who arrive from around the world each year. O'Hara and McNulty explore the conflict this presents as park managers attempt to balance protection of the mountain's fragile ecosystems with the desires of the many who wish to seek solitude in its vast forests or challenge themselves on its daunting glaciers.
Mark has been in and out of hospital his whole life - and he's fed up. So when his cancer returns, he decides he's had enough. Running away with his dog Beau, he sets out to climb a mountain - and it's only when he's left everything behind that Mark realises he has everything to live for.
Each year almost two million visitors come to Mount Rainier National Park. If they don’t follow safety warnings, they may find themselves victims of a climbing accident, or face-to-face with a mountain lion, or stuck in the fog and snow on the Muir Snowfield, a place that is continually rated as one of America’s most dangerous hikes. Death in Mount Rainier National Park gathers some of the most dramatic stories of the more than 400 deaths that have occurred in the park’s history.
Mount Rainier rises 14,410 feet above sea level and can be seen on any given day by over three million people and from over 100 miles away. It is America's fifth national park, established in 1899. The mountain is an active but currently dormant volcano. With 25 named glaciers, 50 smaller unnamed glaciers, and numerous perennial snowfields, Mount Rainier boasts the largest glacier system in the continental United States. In addition to the glacier zone, the park has alpine and subalpine forest and subtropical rain forest. Each zone has its own unique ecology of plants and animals. The vistas of and from the mountain are some of the most spectacular in all of the park system.
This is the only comprehensive guide dedicated to this one classic trail. All alternate routes are also described (unlike the more general mentions in books that include other trails as well). Hikers will learn about all the best hidden side trips, discover great planning tips, find out how best to snag one of the coveted permits, and have complete sample itineraries available to help with planning, making this guide indispensable to anyone planning to tackle the Wonderland Trail.
Presiding over the Puget Sound region, Mount Rainier has lured adventurers and entrepreneurs to its slopes since the earliest settlers. Visitors rode packhorses or hiked miles to tent "hotels" at Theosophy Ridge, Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, and Ohanapecosh. James Longmire opened Longmire Springs Hotel near bubbling mineral springs. In 1899, Mount Rainier became a national park, and eventually, a motley array of services was consolidated by the Rainier National Park Company, which built National Park Inn and Paradise Inn. Roads, services, and activities expanded, and guests poured in. Winter activities, such as skiing and tobogganing, increased the park's popularity. The 1936 Winter Olympic Ski Trials and training for World War II ski troops were even hosted there. Visitors today might be surprised to know that many inns, rental cabins, bathhouses, and other buildings have come and gone, leaving some areas more pristine now than for much of the park's history.
A “provocative, highly original” profile of Mount Rainier—capturing the majestic beauty and deadly allure of one of the largest active volcanoes in the U.S. (Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air) Mount Rainier is one of the largest and most dangerous volcanoes in the country, both an awesome natural monument and a formidable presence of peril. In The Measure of a Mountain, Seattle writer Bruce Barcott sets out to grasp the spirit of Rainier through an exploratory, meandering, and deeply personal journey along its massive flanks. From forest to precipice, thinning air to fractured glaciers, he explores not only the physique of Rainier but the psychology and meaning of all mountains—and the deep connection that exists between humans and landscape. What he finds is a complex of moss-bearded hemlocks and old-growth firs, high meadows that blossom according to a precise natural timeclock, sheets of crumbling pumice, fractured glaciers, and unsteady magma. Rainier’s snow fields bristle with bug life, and its marmots chew rocks to keep their teeth from overgrowing. The mountain rumbles with seismic twitches and jerks, seeing one-hundred-thirty earthquakes annually . . . Rainier is an obsession, a temple that attracts its own passionate acolytes—from scientists and priests to rangers, and mountain guides—as well as a monument to death. Referred to by locals as simply “the mountain,” it is the single largest feature of the Pacific Northwest landscape—provided it isn’t hidden in clouds. Visible or not, though, Rainer’s presence is undeniable. Filled with adventure, poignant personal reflections, and fascinating mountain lore told by Indian chiefs, professional guides, priests, and scientists, The Measure of a Mountain is one man’s stirring quest to reconcile with a dazzling creation of nature, at once alluring and sometimes deadly.
Hiking the Wonderland Trail is the authoritative guide to planning and enjoying the world-class trail that circumnavigates Washington’s Mount Rainier. Hikers who tackle this 93-mile route endure a strenuous 22,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Fully revised and refreshed, this second edition offers the best, most up-to-date and thorough information available, whether you’re thru-hiking, section hiking, or exploring the adjacent Northern or Eastside Loop Trails. Washington native and professional hiking guide Tami Asars also now highlights a selection of short day hikes to encourage hikers to spend an extra night or two on the trail, while new sidebars written in her signature playful style, such as "Tami’s Wonderland Trail Camp Superlatives!" spotlight bonus information to enhance your adventure. As one Wonderland Trail hiker notes, "If you have ever wanted to hike the WT in sections or as a complete loop, you need this book. . . . [Asars] describes in detail significant geological, botanical, and topographical formations and she interjects humor and historic insights throughout the text."
