2130 View

Day 249: When you're a 14,410' Mountain and the surrounding foothills top out between 5000-7000', you certainly dominate the landscape from every vantage point offering a clear view. Of course much of the Pacific Northwest is forested (logging operations notwithstanding) and a little of it is dominated by man-made structures (Seattle), but for the most part, if a hiker achieves a high spot where trees don't block the vista, Mount Rainier owns the horizon.

I don't think this particular section had been clearcut the last time I walked Pack Forest's 2130 Loop, and the obvious maturity of the thistle patches and foxglove stands indicated to me that it must have been more years than I remembered. From main campus parking, the 2130 is roughly the farthest point in Pack attainable by walking the road system and/or trails. Other routes would add more miles, but if you're looking at the 2130 as a destination, you're in for pounding your soles. I had started my day with a shorter hike planned: up the 1000 to the 1400, 1400 to its end, then back to the Advanced Horse Trail and up to Hugo Peak and out via the Reservoir Trail, a 10-mile trip. After having lunch on Hugo, I decided to visit the 2130. I remembered it as being heavily forested, shady and richly green. I did not remember the view of the Mountain, and that's not something I'd be likely to forget. After all, the Mountain is a significant part of my life. Having done the 2130, I walked back to Kirkland Pass trying to judge how much more plodding my feet would stand. I had three choices to take me back to parking, two somewhat shorter options and the longer Reservoir Trail. I went the long way. Typical.