At 14,417 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier is the fourth highest mountain in the lower 48 states, and is considered to be an active volcano. The most recent eruptions were in the 19th century, but it is a risk to erupt at any time. With 26 glaciers on the mountain, it is the most glaciated mountain in the contiguous U.S. An eruption would produce massive lahars, mud rivers, endangering more than 80,000 people who live near the base of the mountain. Because of the glaciers, climbing Mt. Rainier is very difficult, and several people die each year in the attempt.
Despite all this, Mt. Rainier became our 5th national park in 1899, and currently sees about 2.5 million visitors each year. We had made several visits to the park prior to 2007, all in the summer. We wanted to see it in the spring with snow all around. Unfortunately, there was major flooding in 2006, when 18 inches of rain fell in a 36 hour period, and several roads were washed out. Although we were limited in traveling around the park, we did enjoy the special beauty available at that time.
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