View Workout (Joe Uhan)
OFF - too much rain!
September 22, 2018 (Morning)
Exercise Type: Other
Weather: rainy, cold, windy
Comments:
We woke up at Tahklakh Lake CG to steady rain. Actually, it rained steady all night! The stuff I'd foolishly left out last night got soaked, but thankfully it wasn't too sensitive to moisture: our bag chairs, the camp stove, etc. But our box of wood got soaked, so we left it there.
The weather was just OK enough to make some coffee and toast from the sider door in the van. I was really glad I packed my waterproof puff! It was wet and COLD! After breakfast was done, neither of us wanted to run, so we left the camp, high up, deep in the Gifford Pinchot NF, beside Mt Adams, and rolled north, toward Mount Rainier.
We rumbled down gravel for a bunch of miles before finally getting back on pavement. It was a solid hour+ to go 25 miles to civilization and US highway 12. Once there, it was warmer, but still foggy and wet. Ugh. We were committed to Rainier, so we grabbed some supplied and hit the road, north and east.
We drove up into Rainier NP. Unlike a lot of parks (like Yellowstone or Crater) there is no main loop around the park. Instead there are a few spur roads. This is one of the several "good and bad" things about Rainier:
* bad, because it's a pain in the ass to get around and see stuff
* good, because that discourages the lazy tourist (which accurately describes most of 'em)
We drove the east-to-west spur to the main visitor center and were met with a goddamn monsoon: wet, windy and cold! Despite that, the parking lot was still jammed full with cars and people.
The area was socked in with clouds and fog. No way we were running. On top of that, we were both still really tired. So after a little touring in the vistor center, we drove back the way we came: toward a more distant (and hopefully less crowded) campground.
We drove to the White River CG. It was a tightly-packed campground, but really pretty. And despite the weather, it was mostly full. But we spied one site, along the road, that showed an area under some big trees that was still bone-dry! Jackpot! Since we didn't have a tent or tarps, finding a naturally-sheltered area was a true gem, so we jumped on it.
After checking in, we made a fire and prepped dinner under this treed area in our site, avoiding the vast majority of the on and off drizzle for the rest of the night. Despite the poor weather, it was a great spot and a pretty enjoyable "pajama day", as it turned out!