The ride into Mt. Rainier National Park was really wonderful. Although the first part of the ride was mostly climbing, the second half was so sweet. During a 7 mile climb, a jet flew right by us, sideways, through the moutain pass. It was so loud and awesome, I think we all just yelled like crazy when we saw what it was. What are the odds?
After that, we all met up at a gas station in White Pass for lunch: one of my favorite parts of the day because we are all together and eating PB & J. Then, we had a buunch of downhills, maybe 12 miles or so which I really loved. The best part was definitely seeing that gorgeous mountain after a days worth of hard work. It looked so beautiful, pictures will hopefully be up soon. I've never seen a mountain like that before, nor have I dropped my jaw so hard at the sight of, well, anything.
The campground was great even though it was hot. I think I liked it better than Yellowstone. Less touristy, less RVs to dodge, and tons more huge trees. Matt H, Caroline, Christa, Kristen and I met a family with a ton of little kids and they took us down to the river/ creek. It was glacial water so of course, we jumped in! It felt like swimming through a really cold Icee and it felt sooo goood. Highly recommend jumping into glacial waters if you ever get the chance.
I just rested on the rest day. Some people went to hike around Mt. St. Helen, others took trails, etc. It was nice to relax though, and it was peaceful and quiet so I really enjoyed those two days. Plus there were so many cute little chipmunks running around the campground. We didn't know if we should get them away from our food or watch them since they are so adorable. This day also marks our last day camping as a team (all 22 people); most people are relieved I would say, and so am I!