Nothing is ever the same from year to year at Mount Rainier National Park. No two winter seasons  are alike!  The driving conditions up the Nisqually Road to Paradise change with the weather along with the way the plows stack or clear the snow. The snow on the slopes at Paradise is always different. After a snowfall it is soft and fluffy with each step. When rain falls in the mountains, the snow becomes slick. The weekend crowds at Paradise make ski and snowshoe tracks or trails galore all over the slopes. And when the temperatures rise and fall quickly, the snow turns hard and crunchy without a new snowfall. Therefore, a trip to Paradise in the winter is always unpredictable and never the same.  Earlier in December extremely cold temperatures brought nice sunny days to the mountains. However the wind and its chill made it difficult to enjoy the blue sky days at Paradise. The early snow of November, which opened the downhill ski areas early, didn’t continue to build rapidly and consistently in December. Now in January the snow level at Paradise has remained around 80 inches with it building after a snowfall and then melting from rain and warmer temperatures.

Snow trees are my favorite part of winter. Unfortunately, we have not had many big snowfalls in the mountains that have left white snow robes covering the trees for very long. When storms have come, the weather has not cooperated enough to warrant a quick trip for new photos. This year at Paradise the snow depth is not high enough to cover the tops of all the trees. Presently, the green tree tops jut out of the snow making for an unusual sight. The month of January is the early part of the Pacific Northwest winter, so I anxiously wait for a big storm that will dress the trees in winter white robes and lay a thick snow blanket over the landscape in graceful drifts.

Written by: Sally Johnson  

Winter Books for Snowshoeing & Cross Country Skiing are available here online at: www.mtrainierphotos.com or in Ashford at Whittaker Mountaineering Store.  $15.00

Also it is not too late to get your 2010 Mount Rainier Calendar online here at www.mtrainierphotos.com.  $15.00