Chirico Trail 8/18/2011

There are multiple views of Mt. Rainier  on this hike, but the one at the summit is by far my favorite.

View of Rainier on the way home.

Chirico Trailhead

Scott, Isabel (my beautiful boxer pup) and I hiked up the Chirico trail to Poo Poo point. It is known for its local paragliders. We were trying to condition with weight in our packs, for which we were using 5 gallon Swiss army water bags (giving us a weight of about 50lbs). I must say it was difficult...so we took it slow  and steady. The benefit of using a water bag is twofold:
     1.  It allows for plenty of water availability for your companions (or in my case this was mostly for Isabel)
     2. You can empty the water at the top as to help reduce the strain on your knees on the way back down.

I look forward to seeing how my conditioning improves over the next several months.

Check out my previous post on the Chirico Trail.

To get to the trail head from Seattle go east on I-90 to exit 17 (Front Street). Turn right off the freeway and travel 2.8 miles  (Front Street turns into Issaquah-Hobart Rd.) to the gravel parking area on the left just past the paragliding building. The trail head is across the field.