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DISCOVER
Sunday, October 29, 2000
Peaks and valleys Spectacular views make the work worth doing for enthusiasts GAIL WOOD, THE OLYMPIAN "I like driving until you hit snow and then just getting out and start cross-country skiing right there on the logging roads. ... You can do it anywhere there's snow." -- Joe Hyer
OLYMPIA -- Val Hyer escapes the winter drizzle by heading to Mount Rainier to cross-country ski.
Mount Rainier National Park is a haven for cross-country skiers, with the park's Paradise an ideal launching place. It's there that Hyer goes to her favorite cross-country trail, a four-mile trek to Reflection Lake.
"It's so beautiful," said the Olympia resident. "We really enjoy going there. I'm just a mediocre skier, but I still have fun."
After a short but strenuous climb, Hyer knows when she pops up over the hill she will be rewarded with a panoramic view of the surrounding peaks rising above the frozen Reflection Lake. It is Hyer's favorite get-away via cross-country skiing, but it's not the only place.
Within an hour's drive, there are a variety of spots for South Sound residents to go.
At Stevens Pass, 15 miles of groomed trails await cross-country skiers. For just $4, skiers get all-day access to the trails. Hyer also enjoys going to Snoqualmie Pass, where there is a Nordic area complete with a chairlift to Mount Katherine, where a 10-mile trail begins. Lift tickets cost only $4.
"There's a lot of places to choose from," she said.
Dave Mowell likes the Mount Tahoma Trails, a network of 100 miles of logging road just outside Mount Rainier Park near Ashford.
"There's some fabulous cross-country skiing there," said Mowell, manager of the Olympic Outfitters store in Olympia.
For cross-country skiers like Joe Hyer, Val Hyer's stepson, logging roads covered with snow can offer some of the most scenic trails.
"I like driving until you hit snow and then just getting out and start cross-country skiing right there on the logging roads," Hyer said. "That's the great thing about cross-country skiing. You can do it anywhere there's snow."
One of Hyer's favorite cross-country trails is at Mount Eleanor in the Olympic Mountains.
"It's fantastic," he said.
Another option is The Ski Touring Center at Longmire in Mount Rainier Park, which is open daily from mid-December to April, depending on snow conditions. The center is an ideal takeoff point for a variety of trails.
In the early 1980s, interest in cross-country skiing peaked, with five million people nationwide participating. But by the end of the decade, participation dropped to 3.7 million. Snowshoeing, as the quality in equipment improved, took away from the interest in cross-country skiing and still maintains a high interest among winter hikers.
More and more hikers who enjoy trekking through a Cascade meadow during the summer months are coming to a startling conclusion: Snow doesn't have to mean an end to hiking. Trekking through the woods on cross-country skis is a viable option for beating the winter blahs.
Mowell and the Hyers all agree that cross-country skiing in the wintry wonderlands of Washington has a lot to offer and the crowds are nothing like hikers find in the summer.
Cross-country skiing
-Renting skis: In Olympia at Alpine Experience, 956-1699; Olympic Outfitters, 943-1114.
-Instruction: Rainier Mountaineering at (253) 627-6242.
-Places to go: Paradise in Mount Rainier Park, Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass are just some of the options.
10 safety essentials
When you are snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or just hiking outdoors there are some essentials to take with you just in case a storm hits or you get stranded or injured:
1. Map of the area.
2. Compass.
3. Extra food.
4. Extra clothing.
5. Flashlight with extra bulb and batteries.
6. First-aid kit.
7. Sunglasses.
8. Knife.
9. Fire starter
10. Waterproof matches. The Olympian Copyright 2000
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