R is for RVenture, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, 8.25.19-8.28.19, Part 3 of 3

We are still trying to get the hang of camping with the RV and want to be more carefree and flexible with our camping plans but we also worry about not being able to find a site if we don’t reserve far in advance. We had actually been very successful on this trip having booked the first two nights as reserved camp spots just days before leaving. But after our hike on the Naches Peak Loop Trail we had no more reservations and we weren’t ready to go home yet. Coming down off Chinook Pass we drove just a bit further north to the White River Campground, one of three campgrounds within the national park itself that allow RVs. The rules state that you drive through the campground and if you find an open site, occupy it and then go back and check in. We drove through three of the four loops and while there were several options for open sites, almost none of them had flat pull-ins which are essential for parking our RV. We did finally find one that worked out just fine and we were thrilled to be able to camp inside the park with no advance reservation.

We had a delicious dinner, started a campfire and I played guitar for a couple of hours. We had camped at this campground several times over the years and we like its location. Ten miles further up a winding steep mountain road is one of the main visitor centers of the park known as Sunrise. Well now that we had our campsite secured, we (I) hatched the idea of getting up at 5AM, driving the RV up to the Sunrise parking lot and hiking to the ridge top behind the visitor center to watch the sun rise on Mount Rainier. Sunrise from Sunrise. Bridgit, being the trooper that she is, agreed to my terms and when 5AM rolled around we took no more than ten minutes to get the RV ready for travel and headed up the road.

It was starting to get light by the time we arrived so we packed up our day packs and headed up the hill as the sun began to soak the icy mountain in a brilliant orange glow.