October 30, 2011, Mt. Rainier, Paradise

The weather report for Sunday on Mt Rainier had been holding steady all week for rain and snow, but as I drove from the dry side for Mt Rainier on Saturday the mountain was clear, and there were no rain clouds on the horizon.  As I turned in on Saturday night near White pass the sky was clear and I was hopeful.  Around three it started to rain, and at five when I got up it was still coming down.  I have been to Mt. Rainier  five times, and have never seen the mountain, it looked like my first time skiing would be no exception.  There was about a dozen cars in the parking lot,  I pulled next to one with two hardy folks getting ready to go skiing.  They were fortifying themselves with a tall boy, and it seemed like a really good idea.  Visibility in the parking lot was 200 vertical and about the same horizontal, but there was the odd patch of blue scudding by.  My skiing partner, had car troubles so I would have to make this trip without any guide or moral support.  My wife agreed to come along for awhile, but the steady horizontal rain did not brighten her spirits, so at Panorama Point, she left me for a book in the visitor center.  I was hoping for some easy money turns but it was not to be.  I caught up with the two folks I had talked with in the parking lot , and they were putting on their skis, so being new to the area I did the same, by the time I had my boots on they were gone into the mist, and two more die hard guys showed up.  I skinned about 150 yards and had to take my skis off another 150 and skis off again, there I caught up with my parking lot friends, hunkered down behind a nice big rock nursing another tall boy, and contemplating the sensibility of  going any further.  More skiers from below, and above with reports of more of the same weather wise above, but "the snow was not all that bad".  Well, I managed to work my way up to about 8200, decided that was enough, not much but enough for me on that day.  Hoped for better visibility, but still had a great day, met some nice folks, and made my first turns on Mt. Rainier.