Mt. Rainier’s history of ice and ambitions

At 14,411 feet, Mt. Rainier is the giant of the Cascade Range of volcanic mountains and it remains an active volcano. About 5,600 years ago, it sent forth an 800-foot debris flow over what is now Paradise Meadows, laying the base for today’s explosion of wildflowers.

The nearly 370-square-mile park contains 34 square miles of ice. If Mt. Rainier’s ice were to melt all at once, it would fill the Columbia River at full flood stage for four days.

In 1792, explorer George Vancouver anointed the mountain with the name Rainier, in honor of Rear Adm. Peter Rainier, a fellow explorer, but its Native American name was Mt. Tacoma, or Tahoma. John Muir, who successfully reached the summit in 1888, and geologist Bailey Willis urged that the area be made into a national park. They were joined by P.B. Van Trump, a member of the first group of climbers to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier in 1870, and Fay Fuller, who, in 1890, became the first woman to climb to the summit.

President McKinley signed the Mt. Rainier National Park bill in 1899. Nine years later, Rainier became the first national park to allow cars. The park has become a magnet for hikers and climbers, although it is not without risk. Despite improved equipment and techniques that have made successful climbs more attainable, six climbers died in 2014 while trying to conquer the summit. Their names were added to a long list of men and women who have died in that pursuit.

A visit to see the wildflowers, however, poses fewer risks. In 2014, about 1.9 million people visited the park. If you are visiting Paradise, which is at 5,400 feet, make sure to prepare for the weather. Paradise is said to be one of the snowiest places on Earth (in places where snow is measured); in the winter of 1971-72, it received more than 93 feet of snow. This year, however, snowfall has been below normal. Snow usually will remain until mid-July; it returns starting in late September or early October.