April 4th, 2011
The venture crew once again set out on a snow shoeing adventure in the foothills of Mt Rainier. It had been 2 years since we last graced the MTTA cabins with out presence and this year we only had 4 individuals returning...so allot of snowshoeing newbies! This time we decided to stay in a different hut which also meant exploring completely different territory.
Months of planning have culminated to this very moment...the group picture at the trail head.
Unfortunately instead of snow at the parking lot, we found mud and rain...allot of rain! Hayes is doing as everyone else has done, donned the pack cover to hopefully keep his gear dry. Thank goodness for packing lists that include extras like wet weather gear!
This is the look that Mahoney gets on his face when he has to carry his snowshoes on his back and gets his Outdoor Research snow pants all muddy."Who ordered the rain, this is supposed to be a snowshoeing trip!"
About 1/2 mile into the hike, we climbed enough elevation to reach snow that warranted putting on the shoes! The rain slowly turned into snow and all was good in the world.
The snow was light and dry at first...
...then it started coming down harder...
...and the snow got deeper...
...and the climb got steeper...
...and at the half way point they rested!This storage shed was the location of the first snowball fight. It is amazing how tired the boys can be while hiking but how much energy they have as soon as they drop their packs and start launching grapefruit sized snowballs into the air.
Did I mention that the snow got deeper?
The cabin was a welcome sight after 5 1/2 hours of hiking/climbing. As you can see, the snow is level with the second story in most places!
Did I mention that the snow got deeper?
The cabin was a welcome sight after 5 1/2 hours of hiking/climbing. As you can see, the snow is level with the second story in most places! The cabin is situated on a ridge line at the summit of the mountain.
The mud room
A view of the loft (the boys sleeping area) and Burbidge's couch/bed
Hayes chillin' in his top bunk
Mahoney and Hayes' Beds. Notice how neat and clean they are...
The mud room
A view of the loft (the boys sleeping area) and Burbidge's couch/bed
Hayes chillin' in his top bunk
Mahoney and Hayes' Beds. Notice how neat and clean they are... .
...now notice the boy's loft. Notice any difference?
As long as they are smiling and having a good time (and their dirty socks are kept up stairs with the rest of their smelly stuff), the adults are happy.
The clothes rack around the fireplace was constantly full of wet clothes.
Andrew relaxing in front of the propane fireplace that serves as heat for the cabin, a dryer for the clothes, and our method of melting snow for filtering to drink and cook.
The boys really enjoyed just relaxing together and spending time away from all of the distractions of home and school
It is always entertaining to listen to a group of 14-16 year old boys playing Scrabble. They come up with some pretty interesting ways of spelling words and no one in the cabin is a good enough speller to challenge them!
Gotta love laying around in fleece PJ's while it is a blizzard outside
Burbidge...making some dessert. We treat the these boys REALLY good!
Cards were a favorite past time. Particularly a game that required the boys to slap the table as hard and fast as they could...this was relaxing to listen to for hours at a time!
Snow drift on the cabin and the route you had to take to get to the privy.
The second day was set aside for snowball fights, building snow caves, snowball fights, hiking cross country on a 2 mile loop, and snowball fights.
The boys found a snow bank that served well for building caves and tunnels.
By the time we were done, it looked like Swiss cheese along the wall. 5 caves and 2 chute slides all connected by a tunnel network...pretty sweet!
The cross country hike was amazingly beautiful and much easier when you aren't lugging around a backpack. i know it is hard to imagine, but we got into a snowball fight while on the trail!
Streams crossed the path along the way and as you can see, you dont want to fall into one of these holes.
This is the farewell picture outside the cabin on the third and final day. Everyone got up early and helped clean the cabin while packing their own supplies. After a quick breakfast, it was time to hit the trail.
We are much happier when we are outside and not listening to the "slap the table card game"!
...now notice the boy's loft. Notice any difference?
As long as they are smiling and having a good time (and their dirty socks are kept up stairs with the rest of their smelly stuff), the adults are happy.
The clothes rack around the fireplace was constantly full of wet clothes. 
Andrew relaxing in front of the propane fireplace that serves as heat for the cabin, a dryer for the clothes, and our method of melting snow for filtering to drink and cook.
The boys really enjoyed just relaxing together and spending time away from all of the distractions of home and school
It is always entertaining to listen to a group of 14-16 year old boys playing Scrabble. They come up with some pretty interesting ways of spelling words and no one in the cabin is a good enough speller to challenge them!
Gotta love laying around in fleece PJ's while it is a blizzard outside
Burbidge...making some dessert. We treat the these boys REALLY good!
Cards were a favorite past time. Particularly a game that required the boys to slap the table as hard and fast as they could...this was relaxing to listen to for hours at a time!
Snow drift on the cabin and the route you had to take to get to the privy.
The second day was set aside for snowball fights, building snow caves, snowball fights, hiking cross country on a 2 mile loop, and snowball fights.
The boys found a snow bank that served well for building caves and tunnels.
By the time we were done, it looked like Swiss cheese along the wall. 5 caves and 2 chute slides all connected by a tunnel network...pretty sweet!
The cross country hike was amazingly beautiful and much easier when you aren't lugging around a backpack. i know it is hard to imagine, but we got into a snowball fight while on the trail!
Streams crossed the path along the way and as you can see, you dont want to fall into one of these holes.
This is the farewell picture outside the cabin on the third and final day. Everyone got up early and helped clean the cabin while packing their own supplies. After a quick breakfast, it was time to hit the trail.
We are much happier when we are outside and not listening to the "slap the table card game"!Just kidding...this is the look that Mahoney and Hayes have on their face when they know they have just completed a very successful outing with the boys.
The weather was fair on our desent. At times it was very clear and sunny. Other times it was 5 feet of visibility and blizzard conditions.
We decided to take another route back to the parking lot. This alternate route was 1 1/2 miles longer and ventured into un-maintained territory, yet it offered us the opportunity to see new land and to explore some alpine lakes that were covered in snow and could be seen far below from the cabin.
As you can see, the snow was deep when you got off the trail!
You can see the lake far below between the trees. Our path of travel would take us along the lake and straight acrossed the mountain on the other side.
Once we got to the lake it was appearant that we would have to cross it to get to our destination. This is obviously not the premier choice but a necessary one. Mahoney lead the group and tested the stability of the snow/ice as he crossed. Everyone else did a great job of spreading out and walking gently.
Directly in the middle of the picture was our destination and everyone made it safely and with a great story to tell about how they learned to walk on water.
As you can see, the water wasnt all that far away!
The weather was fair on our desent. At times it was very clear and sunny. Other times it was 5 feet of visibility and blizzard conditions.
We decided to take another route back to the parking lot. This alternate route was 1 1/2 miles longer and ventured into un-maintained territory, yet it offered us the opportunity to see new land and to explore some alpine lakes that were covered in snow and could be seen far below from the cabin.
As you can see, the snow was deep when you got off the trail!
You can see the lake far below between the trees. Our path of travel would take us along the lake and straight acrossed the mountain on the other side.
Once we got to the lake it was appearant that we would have to cross it to get to our destination. This is obviously not the premier choice but a necessary one. Mahoney lead the group and tested the stability of the snow/ice as he crossed. Everyone else did a great job of spreading out and walking gently.
Directly in the middle of the picture was our destination and everyone made it safely and with a great story to tell about how they learned to walk on water.
As you can see, the water wasnt all that far away!
At the top of the mountain you may see a dark speck...this was our cabin! We hiked down the backside of this mountain and around the right side which eventually dropped to the lake where this picture was taken from. Only about 3 hours of hiking remianed after this last picture was taken before we would finally reach the cars and the end of our adventure.
