08.30.09, Van Trumped?!?

I wanted to get some August turns and Michele wanted to try "backcountry" sking so we headed to Mt. Rainier to ski the Van Trump snow patches.

Surprisingly, on our hike to Van Trump Park we past several day hikers, who seemed to find enjoyment in taunting a couple of fun-loving hikers with skis on their backs. In fact, many of them commented that we would not find snow and suggested we would be "trumped" by the Van Trump snow patches?!?

Despite the naysaying from our hiker friends, we continued hiking to about 7,400 feet where we found a few scrawny snow patches. At this point we donned our skis, picked a line to connect snow patches and scrounged nearly 1,200 feet of skiing with portages in between. August turns indeed!