Mount Rainier is located southeast part of Washington, less than an hour’s drive from Tacoma. This national park is both a volcano and glacier, offering rich history and beautiful landscape. Thousands of years ago, the Puyallup and Nisqually tribes lived in the mountains of Tahoma. There, they would hunt, fish, and live on herbs and berries growing freely along hillsides.
With a great reverence for the massive summit, they vowed never to go near it. It was not until 1792 when Captain George Vancouver, a British explorer, named the peak, “Mount Rainier” after his dear friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The first man to venture to the summit was Dr. William Tolmie from Scotland in 1833. Together with five Native Americans, he organized an expedition where medicinal herbs would be gathered.
By the late 1850s, many had climbed near the peak but most believed reaching the top was impossible. For example, a settler by the name of James Longmire established what is now known as the “Packwood Trail” and was responsible for leading many climbers up the slopes. With the peak still not being conquered, in 1857, an Army Lieutenant by the name of August Valentine Kautz organized a group and for eight days, they fought the elements trying to make it to the top. The guide was snow blinded, the other climbers quit, and the result was that the summit was never reached even though they came within 400 feet of the top. Although this group was not successful, they did prove that Mount Rainier could be climbed.
However, it was not for another 17 years before a trip to the top of Mount Rainier was made by Philemon Van Trump and General Hazard Stevens. After another 13 years had passed, James Longmire was determined to make it to the top and together with Philemon Van Trump and George Bayley, Longmire made his way up the summit – he was 63 years of age! Interestingly, something unexpected occurred during Longmire’s trip to ascend the mountain. After establishing their campsite, his horse wandered off, making its way to a mineral spring on the south side of Mount Rainier. After searching for his horse, he finally finds it drinking from crystal, clear water, flowing freely from a natural spring. Just one year later in 1884, Longmire and his wife built the first hotel at that very site now called Mineral Springs Resort!
Then in 1890, another major feat was accomplished with Fay Fuller, a full-time schoolteacher from Olympia, Washington was the first woman to climb the summit. Soon, more and more people began hearing about this area and making trips themselves to discover the magic it provided. As the number of visitors rose, a campaign began to make Mount Rainier a national park. The campaign was so intense that it involved powerful scientific and conservation organizations to include the National Geographic Society. In 1899, Mount Rainier became the first national park in the United States, signed off by President McKinley.
Just 13 years later in 1911, the first automobile reached Mount Rainier and by 1916, a trail system was established around the mountain called the “Wonderland Trail.” Soon, park buildings, bridges, and additional trails are constructed, all still being used today. Proving that anyone could climb Mount Rainier, a group of disabled climbers was determined to set foot on the peak. The group consisted of seven visually impaired people, two that were hearing impaired, a Vietnam veteran with just one leg, and a person with epilepsy. Of the 11 people, nine of them reached the summit.
In 1990, 8,335 climbers joined the many others from the past in trying to reach the summit of Mount Rainier. In all, 4,534 made it to the top. Today, this national park is a Mecca for sightseers and climbers from around the globe. Covering 378 square miles and elevations that range from 1,880 to 14,411 feet, more than two million people visit Mount Rainier every year because of its magnificence.
The most fascinating thing about Mount Rainier is that it is a volcano. Geologists say it is episodically active, which means that it is expected to erupt again sometime in the future. Of all the volcanoes in the United States, Mount Rainier is the tallest with the fifth highest peak. Although risks do exist with a volcanic area, the staff is highly trained and prepared and visitors that climb the summit are required to understand the associated dangers. For example, special training is provided, covering glacial outbursts that can cause flooding, mudslides, damaged roads, and so on. Most experts believe the dangers within this national park are minimal but it is important to understand the risks and be well informed.
Keep in mind that the last eruption of Mount Rainier was sometime between 1829 and 1894. In all, it is believed that Mount Rainier has had 14 eruptions, some being just dust clouds and a few rock falls. In addition, Mount Rainier National Park is the greatest most, glacial system in America. The glaciers reach from the peak of the mountain to the 14,411-foot volcanic slopes. In fact, more than 35 square miles of snow and ice cover this summit at all times. Of all the United States’ glaciers, Mount Rainier has the largest surface. Then, Carbon Glacier is listed as the longest, measuring 5.7 miles, the thickest of 700 feet, and the lowest terminus elevation of 3,500 feet.