How I tricked my family to hike Mt. Rainier
I have always wanted to go to Mount Rainier as a child but never had a chance until we moved to Port Orchard, Washington. So one day we did. It was a couple of hours’ drive but well worth it. Lily was only 4 years old and Gabe 5. We each had our own backpacks with snacks, water, and a change of clothes for the kids if needed. From the time the kids could walk, we have been taking them for long treks to get them stronger and encourage everyone to get some exercise.
Mount Rainier was breathtaking up close and very intimidating. There were what seemed to be endless trails everywhere! I pointed to the first one close to the information center and parking lot, but David didn’t want to go for a hike. I really wanted to go explore the area, so I kept pointing out trails hoping to entice David with the beautiful scenery but couldn’t convince him to go. So I tricked him. 🙂
I started edging my way down a trail and bent over oohing, and ahhing about different things which got everyone to follow me. Then we got to a point where we were too far to just turn back, so we moved forward instead. Lol. The views were spectacular, the weather crisp, and the air so clean and fresh!
Everyone was a trooper, especially the kids! Lily and Gabe did not complain about the long hikes. There were points where we all would sit down and take a quick break (David says aka “to die”), eat our lunch/snack, and then continue on. We made it to a point where we reached a glacier and saw people in a tour group slowly making their way up. From here we were ready to make the trek back!
This trip was exhilarating! We hiked for nearly 5 miles with the kids and they didn’t quit. Needless to say for the next few days everyone was pretty sore and tried their best to stay off their feet as much as possible.
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