Reporter’s Notebook: A morning in Mount Rainier National Park

Reporter’s Notebook: A morning in Mount Rainier National Park

When the clock struck 6 a.m., we were off from Packwood en route to the fourth oldest U.S. national park. A month prior, my girlfriend, Piper, had mentioned her family was planning a camping trip to family property in Packwood — the easternmost census-designated place in Lewis County — the first full weekend of August. I’m glad I didn’t get in trouble for my idea, but the first thing on my mind for a Saturday morning was traveling into the close…