Getting the flavor of … America’s Everest

America’s Everest

Washington’s Mount Rainier might not be America’s highest point, but it’s not to be “taken lightly” by climbers, said National Geographic Adventure. Though Mount McKinley and other Alaskan peaks outmeasure it—as do a few in the lower 48 states—none is nearly as steep. Mount Rainier, “with a vertical prominence greater than K2’s, is an entirely different beast.” Towering over the Cascade Mountains, the 14,410-foot peak “never lets its guard down.” The ascent to the summit is “heavily glaciated, avalanche-prone, and battered by intense storms.” Mount Rainier deters roughly half the climbers who attempt it, and that makes it a benchmark for the “Who’s Who of American climbing.” To say you’ve climbed Mount Rainier, opt for “less crowding and more excitement,” and advance by way of the Kautz Glacier route. The crux of this route is a “steep chute sidestepping an ice cliff,” which requires climbers to actually scale straight up. It’s “exhilarating and nerve-racking,” but the subsequent satisfaction can’t be matched.

Contact: Nps.gov/mora/

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A Texas wine tour

In Texas’ wine country, they do things in a “distinctly Texas kind of way,” said Josh Noel in the Chicago Tribune. For one thing, they don’t grow their own grapes. Yet more than 60 wineries have now opened in the small pocket of central Texas known as Hill Country, mixing and bottling grapes harvested elsewhere in the state. The region’s bottlings possess a “refreshing earthiness” that perfectly shows off Mediterranean French and Italian varietals. Most wineries encourage long, relaxed tasting sessions and road trips, offering “passports” to be stamped at every vineyard. That famous Texan “pride and craft” are found throughout Hill Country. At Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and Winery, habanero jelly and cheap crackers are served with a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Visitors are meant to “swallow the whole mess”—a surprising blend of “sweet, spicy, and salty.” Winery employees are convinced a rivalry is forming with California—and, dare it be said, France. That’s doubtful, but “it’s hard not to savor the weird joy” and ambition of Texas wine country.

Contact: Texaswinetrail.com