Over our 4th of July Seattle escapade, we had the privilege to approach the majestic Mt Rainier. We entered the park’s north-eastern corner and parked at the White River campground. Our plan was to hike up the trail for a mile and take the left fork to see Emmons Glacier, the largest glacier in the lower 48 states. It turned out the trail was “obliterated by floods last fall” which made it adventurous and diverse, but impossible to cross the river. Instead of taking the fork (which we never found), we continued the glacier basin trail to it’s official end (in the snow). All along our trek, we were accompanied by the rushing and sometime intimidating sounds of White River. Memorable.

—written by MC Soleil

This post originally appeared on White Noise Lounge.