Sunny Day on Paradise Glacier

An early start allowed us to catch the alpenglow on Mount Rainier on the drive up, although by the time we reached Reflection Lake, the sun had risen. We quickly hiked up from the Paradise parking lot and made our way off the trail and onto Paradise Glacier above Pebble Creek. Stopping below Moon Rocks, we eyed the Cowitz Glacier but decided to ski down.

The sun cups were smoothed out, and the skiing was probably the best I have had this time of year at Mount Rainier. We skied down farther than normal, near the Stevens Glacier. There weren't many open crevasses, although lower down they started to open up. We skinned back up towards the Sugarloaf and then began the hike down.