In July I took my first trip to Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington State. At a viewpoint for Christine Falls I encountered some fairly rude line conduct. At Christine Falls there is a small parking area from which you walk down about 20 feet to a viewpoint of the falls (pictured). Mt. Rainier National Park is one busy place, especially during good weather on a weekend – so it was sort of crowded. There was a line of about 15 people to get to the viewing spot. Nobody seemed to take too long, they took a few pictures, posed in front of the falls, and moved on up the trail to their cars. When it came to be my turn, I was elbowed in the side of the head by a portly (read: orca fat) woman who had skirted the lineup and decided that waiting was for the other people. My response was a rather surprised/angry “EXCUSE ME?”. I didn’t have to do anything else really – the other 15 people in line quickly jumped to my defense and there was much yelling and complaining and shouts of “get to the back of the line” etc. I stood my ground and she realized that she was not only failing to get to the vantage point where I stood but the crowd was rapidly calling for her physical removal. Some seemed ready to do that themselves. Relative sanity prevailed and she fled to the back of the line. I do mean fled – she almost ran. I took my pictures and went back to the car.

Back at the car I reflected on this. So I waited for elbow woman to see where she was from. She got into a car that had Alberta plates. Bah – elbowed by a fellow Canadian in a foreign country! At least she wasn’t from BC.