Six Views of Mount Rainier
July 17, 2013
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:
“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
Exploring Along the Mount Baker Scenic Byway (3): Artist Point
September 29, 2012
The Mount Baker Scenic Byway dead-ends at Artist Point, about 58 miles from Bellingham. The road gains elevation in a series of hairpin turns and curves. There are snow patches everywhere, including a tall bank of dirty snow in the parking lot. The entire area at the end of the road is called Heather Meadows, and this low green plant provides the ground cover along with huckleberry bushes.
Hikers have a choice among several trails that start from the Artist Point parking lot. One thing I love about the Mount Baker Scenic Byway is that you can see some spectacular scenery without much effort, just a short trek from the car. But if you want a more strenuous workout, you can hike some of the longer trails in the network.
I wasn’t prepared for a long solo hike, so I simply walked a short distance to Huntoon Point. The views of Mount Baker were just stupendous. At 10,781 feet, Mount Baker is the third highest peak in Washington State (after Mount Rainier and Mount Adams), and it is snow covered all year long.
Seattle Day Trip: Hoh Rain Forest
November 13, 2010
On my day-off work this week, my husband and I took a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit the Hoh Rain Forest, a temperate rain forest in our state that averages over 12 feet of rain per year! We caught the Edmonds-Kingston ferry across Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula. It hadn’t started raining yet.
As we drove Hwy 101 north and west, we left any sun breaks and saw low-lying clouds caught in the trees on the mountain slopes. By the time we reached Lake Crescent, it was raining. From then on, our windshield wipers got a real workout.
It was still raining when we arrived at the Hoh Rainforest. We hiked the Hall of Mosses trail, a 3/4 mile easy loop, where we were surrounded by immense trees, ferns, mosses and lichens.
Some of the prettiest scenery on our drive was the section of Hwy 101 along Lake Crescent. This was a trip where the journey was as satisfying as the destination.
A Day on the Eastern Side of Glacier National Park
October 2, 2010
The eastern side of Glacier National Park is accessed in St. Mary’s. Because of highway construction, we could drive the Going-to-the-Sun road only as far as Logan’s Pass. Because of the high winds, we cancelled our planned hike to Hidden Lake at the pass, but we did stop at the usual tourist spots along the way to the summit.
Sunrise at Glacier National Park
October 1, 2010
We got up early for the drive from East Glacier to the entrance of the national park at St. Mary’s. . . just in time for a colorful sunrise!