Altitude: 433ft + 4,967ft
7/14/2022
Glancing at my watch, I see it’s 1am meaning it feels like 3am for our weary bones . I adjust my backpack on my shoulders, grateful we had packed light, and check the map on my phone. We have about 1 mile to go. When flying to visit Mount Rainier, you don’t expect your first hike to be from the airport or that it will start in the middle of the night. But, as any frequent traveler knows, things don’t always go as planned, sometimes, it feels like you are on The Amazing Race.
Original Plan
We planned this trip carefully as we do any trip. It was going to be a simple long weekend: fly out to Portland, spend a night with our friend Matt, drive up to the national park where we would hike and run the Mount Rainier Vacation Race.
Chaos Ensues
Our plans began to unravel this morning when Matt took his second positive COVID test. He had come down with COVID over a week ago but had recovered and we figured we would be fine. However, the new test result left us reconsidering spending a night in his apartment. We found a few hotel options in Portland but decided to wait to book just in case. Overall, a small hiccup, but we had a workaround we felt comfortable with.
About mid afternoon, we received a notification that our first flight was delayed. We had gambled by booking a connecting flight through DFW with a short layover, and we were losing that gamble. With the delay leaving Madison, there was no way we would catch our flight to Portland. Alright, on to “Plan C.” We weighed our options and decided to go with a flight to Seattle that left DFW a few hours later. “We should have plenty of time as long as we don’t get delayed further.” Fast-forward to running through DFW with 19 minutes to catch the Seattle flight, we found ourselves regretting our earlier optimism.
Breathless and relieved, we made it onto the Seattle flight and while sitting on the tarmac, booked a hotel near the airport. It was nothing fancy, but would be a welcome rest after our trying day. Our main criterion were that it was close to their airport and had an airport shuttle. This hotel checked both of those boxes.
Chaos Continues
After landing, we followed the signs for ground transportation and phoned the hotel for the shuttle. No answer. Maybe they were busy. Tried again a few minutes later. Still no answer. Worry began to settle in as we called a third time. Still nothing. What plan were we on now? Plan D? Checking Uber/Lyft prices, it seemed ridiculous to pay $30 for a 1.5 mile ride. So here we are.
Leaving an airport on foot is not something most people will do. Rental car, bus, rideshare, taxi, they have signs for all of those but there’s no sign directing you to a sidewalk or a nice way across the chaos of incoming and outgoing traffic. Even the directions on our phone seemed confused.
After a few wrong turns, we managed to find a safe path and left the airport behind. Now we are heading along a quiet street, anxious to reach our hotel. Not much is open at this time of night, so we keep our wits about us as we make our way along. At last, we arrive at the hotel and fall asleep quickly, relieved our journey is over and hoping for more predictability for the rest of the trip.
Back on Track
The next day, Matt picks us up along with his brother and sister-in-law, Mitchell and Kristie, and we head toward Mount Rainier National Park. We settle in and enjoy a relaxing weekend of hiking and exploring. The crisp mountain air, expansive views, and delicious food are the perfect antidote to revive us. We share the stories of our journey here and joke that it was like we were on the Amazing Race. Maybe now we should apply for the show?
No matter how careful you are when planning a trip, there are so many variables at play and anything can happen. I’m grateful that we are flexible and open to adventure and enjoy making memories – even on midnight treks from the Seattle airport.
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