Though I was born, and lived the first 4 years of my life in Southern California (East Los Angeles and then Redondo Beach - in the early 1950’s), my whole family took a summer vacation to western Washington state the summer I turned 4 years old. I was still so young those memories are only brief, hazy flashes. It was a year later that my whole family MOVED TO the Seattle region - settling in West Seattle. That’s where my first SOLID memories start, and being a family that LOVES to camp / travel - it didn’t take us very long to “discover” Mount Rainier National Park. I’ve lost count how many times we camped there, always taking short to medium-length hikes (my being still a child, and my oldest cousin then being just past the toddler stage)……Mount Rainier has always been, and always will be special to Seattle-ites….being as that mountain is well visible from any high hill in Seattle - when the clouds around it clear out. There’s even a local saying “The mountain’s out today!”, meaning….look quick at how pretty Mount Rainier looks, before the clouds gather again and shut off being able to see the mountain from Seattle.
Sincerely,
Mount Rainier National Park
Majestic Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range and an active volcano with more glaciers than any other mountain in the United States. Just an hour's drive from Seattle, the park's wild landscape feels much further from civilization. The forests, parkland, wetlands, lakes and rivers offer 260 miles of trails and varied habitat to dozens of plant and animal species.
State(s): Washington
Established: 1899
“Per my mom, I was born a nature lover.....I like knowing various places are protected, preserved, and that the public can learn about nature / wildlife through the Park Service and the Park Rangers. Don't ever get rid of those uniforms, and especially the iconic hat - the uniforms, and the hat, are unique and should always belong to the National Park Service. (In the 67 years of my life, so far, I've been to about half of the total list of U.S. National Parks.....I've always been decades younger than my chronological age, so I'm hoping to visit the rest of the national parks before my life ends)”
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