Yet Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

Rising over 5,000 feet above sea level, Paradise is one of the most visited areas of Mount Rainier, with thousands of guests hiking the trails every day.  With such heavy traffic on the trails in this area, there is much work that needs to be done to keep the trails open to the public.  If you have explored the Paradise area, you know that many of the trails that spider-web out of from the Jackson Visitor’s Center are paved, though many haven’t been repaired in over 40 years.   

The section of trail the Volunteers called home
during their day of trail work.

That’s where a group of volunteers from the Washington’s National Park Fund comes into play.  This crew of nine eager individuals wanted to help this iconic location in any way they could.  Meeting their trail crew leader, Kevin, at the steps behind the visitor’s center at 9:00am, they were ready to get to work.  After an introduction to the project, a safety discussion, and a tutorial on how to use the tools provided, everyone was off to the races, ready to clear a section of trail that will be repaved later this year. 

The Washington’s National Park Fund, or “The Fund” for short, was formed in Seattle in the early 1990s by three individuals who understood the need for volunteer and financial support for the most iconic National Parks in the state: Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades.  To this day, they are the official nonprofit partner supporting Mount Rainier National Park, and the passion for the parks can be seen in the volunteers that joined us on Saturday, July 18^th. 

The Fund crew posing with thier tools below
the magnificent view of Mount Rainier.

After a morning spent under the hot sun, removing duff from the sides of the trail, and widening the path to the original size when it was first paved years ago, the volunteers from The Fund returned to their campgrounds to remove the freshest layer of dirt from their bodies and then explored some of what Mount Rainier has to offer. 

If you are interested in working with the Washington National Park Fund in continuing their mission of deepening the public’s love for, understanding of, and experiences in Mount Rainier or other iconic parks in the state, please visit their website at www.wnpf.org for more information on how you can get involved or make charitable donations today!