Tahoma Sunrise

Last February, a friend and I headed up to Mount Rainier bright early in the hopes of watching (and of course photographing) the sunrise. Our plans didn't quite pan out, though; we learned that the gates on the Road to Paradise, just beyond Longmire, didn't open until after sunrise. So, we headed back to the Kautz Creek trailhead, and walked out to the creek overlook for this view of Mount Rainier, and had the good fortune of having some nice clouds in the sky.

The Shape of Things to Come

Now that the new year, and the new decade are beginning, what's in store for yours?

Here are some of my goals:

• Return to the Enchantments
• Visit the Necklace Valley
• Backpack to Cutthroat Pass
• Get certified to lead backcountry outings with the Sierra Club
• Get certified in wilderness first aid
• Return to Point of the Arches
• Backpack the Glacier Peak Wilderness
• Get a portfolio printed and produced
• Write a photography book
• Visit Camp Muir

For the curious, the picture above is from Black Canyon, outside of Ellensburg, on the eastern slopes of the Cascades. All I had time for before a cloud obscured the sun was that shot with my point and shoot, but at least I got a shot!

So what's on your docket for 2010?

A Cold Night In Heaven

In early October, I joined a small group heading up to Rainy Pass. When we met at the park and ride in Lynnwood, the weather was perfect for hiking -- temperate, with a clear blue sky and some puffy white cumulus clouds.

When we stopped at the Washington Pass overlook, it was 28 degrees.

When the sun set fully, it got cold.

Fortunately, we set up camp before the cold really set in, and the Lone Pine campground has fire pits, so we had a nice warm campfire going. We spent most of the evening close to the campfire in the interest of staying warm.

Overnight, the temperature dropped down to the low teens. The jacket that I left in next to me in the tent had frost on it when I awoke. After a hot breakfast with some hot coffee and a lot of time around the campfire, we packed up and headed for Blue Lake.

On the way up, we hiked pretty quickly in the interest of staying warm. Once the sun crested the high ridges, we felt a lot better. We ended up relaxing on the shores of Blue Lake for quite a while.

This is autumn in the Pacific Northwest... rugged, beautiful, and decorated with blue lakes and golden larches.