rainier

Rainier Hues

As the sun slowly made its way to the horizon after a long summer day, I was enthralled by the kaleidoscope of colors that evening, including the deep blue shadows on the Puget sound, the pink belt of venus, the orange glow atop Mt Rainier, the deep red alpenglow of the Olympics and the azure blue above. On the western horizon, I witnessed the transition between shadow and light as the line between dark and light slowly crept along the horizon towards Tahoma.

Olympic National Forest
WA USA

Runnels at Rainier

At Mount Rainier, I came across these runnels formed as snowmelt runs down the snowy slopes in a very unique pattern. And I wouldn't have spotted it unless I had stopped to admire the intimate details of the landscape

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

Winter is Coming

Winter is coming
At one point in time, it seemed that the entirety of the Pacific Northwest was being engulfed in wildfires. It felt like the doomsday predicted by the warming climate was getting closer with each passing day. However, that doomsday prophecy has now shifted to California which has more than its fair share of wildfires.

During these warm and balmy days, I often reminisce the cool and wet days of winter, when snow blankets the entire Pacific Northwest, with both valleys and mountaintops taking on a bright white sheen. On such crisp winter days with sunny skies, I sought out vistas of the snow-capped landscape from high atop the Cascades. It was quite a struggle to trudge through knee deep soft snow to climb above the clouds, but in the end, cool vistas like the above make it worth it

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

A National Park Journey - Mount Rainier National Park

I still remember my first visit to Rainier early one spring many years ago. I had driven along sinuous mountain roads enthralled by the lush vegetation along the lower approach. I had truly felt that I was in Paradise, which was also my destination for the day. However, as soon as I had breached the forest cover in Longmire, I realized that the trip was not going to be worth it as the the entire peak was hidden away in the clouds.

I had continued driving about 30 minutes up the road, hoping that the sky would open up. Instead, Paradise was just a gloomy rendition of a city park in the midst of winter: slushy snow substituting for the ground, gloomy skies and ground-level fog that nixed visibility and no hope of seeing the mighty Mt Tahoma. I turned around disappointed, vowing to come back again.

And now, living in the Pacific Northwest, I get to spy the mighty Tahoma on every clear day, and I get the opportunity to visit it few times every year as it is almost close enough for a day trip. This image was from one such return visit to capture the first light on Rainier reflected on a lake.

Mount Rainier National Park
WA USA

Winter Sunrise

I always wondered what sunrise at Rainier looked like in winter. Photographing this famous peak at sunrise required three factors: a clear sunrise, a measurable amount of fresh snow dusting the foreground, and the right location that can be visited at sunrise. And one fortuitous day, I got to be at the right place at the right time when all these three came together.

And even though I wake to views of Rainier every day, this particular sunrise was still an awe-inspiring sight.

Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA

The Curtains Reveal

Precisely a year before this image was taken on the eve of the Fall equinox, I had climbed up Fremont peak at Mt Rainier during a cloudy afternoon. The lookout at the summit had been socked in dense fog, reducing visibility to mere yards. And when all hope seemed lost, the inversion layer dipped below, and I was witness to one glorious sunset above the clouds.

I was hoping to repeat that this year, and with the dense smoke having finally receded, I was eagerly looking forward to a return visit. However, fire damage had temporarily closed the main access road to the area, and I turned to the next best fire lookout in the Mt Rainier area.

I started the hike in high spirits despite the foggy weather, hoping that the clouds would lift up just like last year. But as sunset approached, the snowy summit of Mt Rainier barely managed to peek through the thick fog rolling over the lookout. The glimpses of the inversion layer kept teasing me, prolonging the agony in the freezing cold. And just as I was about to turn around barely 30min before sunset, the clouds lowered.

I was now dropped into an ethereal landscape with the mist still clinging onto the nearby ridges and peaks, while the summit of Mt Rainier, towering over an alpine lake, managed to catch the last bit of alpenglow.

Mt Rainier National Park
WA USA

A Sea of Clouds

The trail ahead disappeared into the fog barely a few yards in front of me. The moving clouds of mist clung to the slope, marring any views of the surrounding landscape even as I approached within striking distance of the fire lookout that was to be my abode for the next few hours.

I was ready to give up, turn back and go home, but I decided to wait the fog out. And barely an hour before sunset, the fog finally did give in, as it slowly dropped below the lookout, exposing a vista of endless clouds.

I waited until twilight to capture the serenity above the tumultuous clouds swirling all around.

Mt Rainier National Park

WA USA

Alpenglow at Rainier

I opened my eyes to a loud alarm. It blinked 4am.

I was dazed, a light hangover persisting from last night, and wondering why I had set the alarm so early?

Then it all came back. Sunrise at Mt Rainier. My date was at 7:30am. It is a 2hr drive and a 45min hike to get to the viewpoint. And it was the last weekend before the road closed for the winter.

...

The smooth pavement stretched into the fog, winding between ranches and forests heading into the black unknowns. I didn't even have time for coffee. It was pure determination to capture this that kept me going.

...

Mt Rainier was glowing in an ethereal pre-dawn light. I was still a mile away from the viewpoint, hiking as fast as my legs could carry me. Another 15 minutes.

...

The Belt of Venus slowly dipped into the horizon: a band of pink and blue curving over the western horizon: earth's shadow casted into the sky. And as it descended, the tip of Rainier was glowing pink, matching the color of the sky beyond. I was all alone atop this viewpoint, enjoying Nature's spectacle

Mt Rainier National Park

WA USA