Our destination was Mt. Beljica in the Glacier View Wilderness. How could we go wrong? The name of the wilderness pretty much tells us it's going to be awesome with glaciers to see and those mountain-things glaciers sit on. Which mountain-thing? Only the best: Her Majesty Mount Rainier.

In fact, we were just outside the Park boundary. This means no entrance fee (though we have a National Parks pass) and dogs can come! This latter was extra important as we had not just Treen, but her buddy, Maggie. (Maggie was staying with us for a few nights while her family was being all international.)

Getting to the Beljica trailhead is a long, bumpy dirt road. We chose the northern trailhead because the southern trailhead is guarded by an even bumpier dirt road and I'd rather get dirty on the trail and not trying to get the truck out of a ditch. Along the way to the trailhead we got peekaboo views of Mount Saint Helens just to the south. You bet we stopped to take some pics. How often do you get to look into the crater?

However, when we crested a ridge while approaching the trailhead Mount Rainier put a stop to any competing mountain crushes. Wispy clouds streaked the sky, all emanated from the summit and the blue skies only accentuated the white of her glaciers. She was glorious. (And we hadn't even started hiking yet.)

Speaking of hiking, the trail leaves the parking lot and almost immediately enters the Wilderness. After traversing a ridge it drops to a couple of meadows full of flowers, a meandering creek, and all the mosquitos you could ask for. (We hurried through this section.)

On the other side of the meadow we started a slow climb through the woods. A spur went to Goat Lake and into the Park to Gobbler's Knob. At some point we'll be back to do that. For this trip, we followed the trail, crossing snow, to the unmarked turn heading steeply up Mt. Beljica.

All along, we'd been glimpsing a brilliant white through the trees that we knew to be the southeast face of the Mountain. It'd been kept from us while we pushed up the hill. Finally in the open just below the summit Rainier took up about a quarter of the sky.

Sure, there were other mountains to be seen. Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens were to the south. Even Mt. Hood was visible on the horizon. But Rainier was the prize. It was so spectacular that the kids accepted the payoff in views. (And they got Special Hiking Bites and Pringles, too.)

No bugs, a light breeze to keep us comfortable, and views in every direction if we possibly got tired of looking at Rainier meant we lounged a long time. In fact, we spent almost an hour on the summit with a handful of other people and their dogs before we headed down the way we came.

The magic of a trip like this comes from the ease of the journey (two hours by car, four miles on foot gaining only 1,100 feet), the great conditions (blue skies, no bugs, great visibility), and the payoff (hello, Mt. Rainier!). This trip felt like we had cheated because we hardly worked for it.

I've heard people say this destination should be kept quiet because it's so good and so easy. However, I'd encourage you to take your kids there and show them what wonders exist in our world.