This is the first of a few entries that my dad had the fun of writing up for the blog. This one is the easiest for me because I have absolutely no memory so he has to tell the whole tale...
It didn't take long to convince me that my son was going to love the pristine zone, although we didn't call it that then. It blew me away how well he did the first time I took him into the mountains at age 2 1/2. This was his first chance to see what was involved with his dad's favorite pastime. We left the parking lot at Reflection Lakes and headed up the 1.3 mile trail to Pinnacle Saddle in the Tatoosh Range of Mount Rainier National Park. Peter walked steadily, figuring that's what was expected of him even though I several times suggested taking a break. He walked uphill for 40 minutes before sitting down for a minute, then bounced back up again. Extended breaks were out of the question for years to come unless someone else in the party demanded one. It was late in the season and no snow patches slowed us. Before long we topped out at the 5900' saddle between Pinnacle and Plummer Peaks, where the trail ended after a 1000' climb. Looking around for an additional challenge, we thought we'd visit the 6300' top 
of Plummer. This was a heather scramble from the saddle. There were some big steps to be made so I carried him a bit at times, but soon he was enjoying his first summit. I said to myself "Looks like you've got a promising backcountry partner here, if the winds blow true." Notice he's not carrying any pack here out of deference to his age, just like the deference I expect in a few years when Pete, Jacqueline, Zyla, and Moe, their second child, take their venerable grandfather backpacking. 
