++ I NEVER KNEW there was so much snow on mt. ranier. i mean i knew there was snow on ranier all the time, but i didn't know there was snow on ranier at the base of ranier all the time! saturday we went hiking on ranier, but not to the top, because thats a long way. but we hiked up a ways and it was snow for the entire hike! which is great, unless you are wearing tennis shoes, which could be alright if they were waterproof (which mine weren't) or maybe, just maybe alright if they weren't waterproof, but you decided to tie them, so no snow would get in (which mine also weren't). snow is cold. i forgot that. even if you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt and there are other people wearing just shorts and no t-shirt! we were only going to hike up a mile or so, until we saw the porta-potty up on the mountain on a ridge. what is a porta-potty doing 2 miles up on a mountain? yeah i don't know. but of course once we saw it, we had to hike up to it to see it! who wouldn't? and so it was locked. the hike back down (which was the same hike as coming up, except we were going down) we hiked right next to the nisqually glacier, which honestly you can't really tell it from just regular snow (or at least not this one.) (ok, maybe a little) and was much less hiking and more a conglomeration of running, slipping, sliding, glissading , tripping, falling, and jumping down the mountain. we built a snowman, which didn't last for more than an hour before someone decided to knock it down. !!. (billy!!!) ..

heather's birthday was june 29. if you know her, email her and wish her happy belated birthday! its her 23rd! we grilled hamburgers and had potato salad and chips, and more chips and an apple pie from marie callenders, yum! and ice cream and fudge. HAPPY 23rd HEATHER!!! ++