Both the Trip 1 and Trip 5 teams concluded their hiking adventures Thursday, marking the end of this year’s PasstoPass overnight hikes.
The Trip 1 team’s Thursday itinerary included breakfast at The National Park Inn followed by hiking Trail of the Shadows Loop.
Trip leader Judi shared this description of the hike: “This short hike has so many wonderful perks! The trail begins directly across the road from the front porch of the National Park Inn. It is one of the easiest hikes in Mt. Rainier National Park but still showcases park history and several interesting natural features. Walk back in time to visit the Longmire cabin, the oldest structure in the park; discover colorful mineral springs; learn about the old Longmire Springs Hotel; and challenge each other to find evidence of beavers by finding teetering trees sitting precariously on hourglass stumps carved by strong front teeth.”
Next: “The Heartbeat of the Mountain” Mt. Rainier drum circle, and then wrapping up three days of day hiking with lunch.
Trip 5 Update
The Trip 5 team started the last leg of their hike at about 9 a.m. Thursday and was off the trail by 1 p.m.
Thursday morning, assistant trip leader Eric reported: “Beautiful morning. All is well.”
The mid-morning report was: “We are at the gap passing over to the Crystal side. Taking a rest break. All downhill from here!”
Thursday’s stats: 5.5 miles; cumulative up: 514 feet; cumulative down: 2,785 feet; ending elevation: 3,975 feet.
Early afternoon, Eric reported: “We are at the trailhead. Llamas are in the truck. We’re off to lunch.”
The team got a glimpse of Mt. Rainier on Thursday’s downward trek and they enjoyed their post-hike lunch treats.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to all our hikers! Many thanks to our trip leaders, assistant trip leaders, support hikers, and everyone who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make these hikes happen.
Special thanks to our donors for supporting our hikers and the mission of PasstoPass. We appreciate each and every one of you!
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