Seattle Day Trip to Mount Rainier National Park
July 18, 2013
Watching the sunrise at Sunrise Point, Mount Rainier National Park
My niece, who is visiting from Israel, wanted to see some of our country’s national parks, so that was all the excuse I needed to made a day trip from Seattle to Mount Rainier National Park. We were on the road at 3:00 a.m. so that we could be at Sunrise Point in time for sunrise at 5:22 a.m. It was worth the early start. Sunrise, at 6400 feet, is the highest point reachable by car in the park. Mount Rainier with elevation 14,409 feet, looms majestically and dominates all views at this point.
The cascading Cascade Mountains
I simply loved the cascading shades of blue vanishing to white on the most distant peaks of the Cascade Mountains. It was easy to see why the Cascade Range got its name, but when I read more about it, I was surprised that neither the explorer Vancouver nor Lewis and Clark called these peaks “Cascades.” The first reference to Cascade Range came in the writings of botanist David Douglas.
Landscape at Sunrise on Mount Rainier
Wildfowers in the alpine meadows at Sunrise on Mount Rainier
We didn’t do much exploring on the trails at Sunrise because they were still covered with snow, but the meadows were full of wildflowers. I will share more photos of the wildflowers in tomorrow’s post.
Melting snow bank
The trails along the Naches Peak loop were also blocked by patches of snow, so my plans to take my niece on this hike were thwarted. We salvaged the day by indulging instead in a touristy trip up a gondola at Crystal Mountain Resort. I had never taken the time to do this before, and it was fun. The views from the summit were stunning. We could see Mount Adams, Mount Saint Helens, and, of course, Mount Rainier. Altogether a wonderful day trip.
The gondola at Crystal Mountain Resort
First vistas as you exit the gondola at the summit
The gondola rode higher than the tree tops!
View with Mount Adams
Wildlife sighting! A chipmunk.
Six Views of Mount Rainier
July 17, 2013
View of Mount Rainier from the terrace of the Summit House Restaurant at Crystal Mountain Resort
This post calls to mind Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, his series of woodblock prints. Mount Rainier has a similar pull on artists. For example, Tacoma woodblock artist, Chandler O’Leary, created her own limited edition fine art book with views of Mount Rainier — it’s called Local Conditions.
On a recent clear summer day, I took my niece on a drive to Mount Rainier. The air was calm and clear, so our views of Mount Rainier were spectacular. We enjoyed the golden glow of the peak at sunrise at Sunrise, distant views from the road, reflected views in Tipsoo Lake, and a high view from the Summit House Restaurant at Crystal Mountain Resort (accessible by gondola ride). I had also just seen a high altitude view from my airplane window when I was returning from Minnesota. Let me share these views of Mount Rainier here:
Floating in the clouds, Mount Rainier from an airplane window
Gold-tinted mountain at sunrise from Sunrise Point, Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier with alpine flowers, Sunrise
View of Mount Rainier with White River from Crystal Mountain Resort
Mount Rainier reflected in Tipsoo Lake
“The mountains are playing at standing on their heads, and their reflections are even lovelier than the reality. The water’s depth and mystery impart vibrancy to the images, and the trembling of the surface conjures visions at the edge of a dream.”
— Sylvain Tesson, The Consolations of the Forest: Alone in a Cabin on the Siberian Taiga, translated from the French by Linda Coverdale
” . . . the public land endowment of the United States is one of the greatest perks of this democracy. Rich or poor, every citizen of the United States of America has title to an area almost the size of Italy.”
— Timothy Egan, “The Geography of Nope,” The New York Times online Opinionator blog, September 27, 2012
Cascade peaks blanketed in clouds as the sun rises on Saturday morning
Every year in late September the country celebrates National Public Lands Day by offering free entrance to the national parks. When possible, I try to take advantage of the free admission because I am frugal, and the regular cost of entry makes visiting a rare treat for me. You may recall that two years ago, my husband and I took a road trip to Glacier National Park in Montana on National Public Lands Day. (You can revisit those blog posts here and here and here.)
Timothy Egan, a writer whose blog I follow regularly, reminds us that our national lands are under threat by politicians, generally Republicans, who want to mine this shared inheritance for its resources and material riches. The full article can be found at this link. I support keeping our national parks and national lands for the general public to enjoy. They are a rare and awesome treasure and shouldn’t be plundered. I think a worthy goal would be to visit every national park before I die.
This past Saturday I got up very early and drove in the dark so that I could be at Sunrise on Mount Rainier in time to watch the actual sunrise at 7:07 a.m. I had to use my windshield wipers to clear a misting rain on my way there, and I was worried that the clouds might hide the rising sun. I arrived at Sunrise shortly after 6:00 a.m. and waited. As dawn approached, I could see Cascade peaks blanketed in clouds all around me. Mount Rainier itself played peek-a-boo with the clouds, revealing its snow-capped peaks and glaciers in fits and starts. It was quite a show. Here are some photos:
Driving to Sunrise on Mount Rainier in the dark. I saw the moon set and then waited for the sunrise.
The lightening horizon illuminates the cloudy Cascade range.
The clouds were generally thick and gray, but there were a few moments of glowing color.
Mount Rainier peeks through clouds, viewed from the parking lot at Sunrise Point.
A handful of spectators watching the sun rise at Sunrise Point.
Tree line on a distant peak, with clouds
Snowfields on Mount Rainier
View from the final approach to Sunrise on Mount Rainier
Paintbrush along the road
Mount Rainier in the early morning light as I was about to depart
Elk at the edge of the road down from Sunrise on Mount Rainier
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