#littletahomapeak

[danmcd674]

We weren't sure how things were going to work out on our trip to MRNP. Our time in Seattle was almost up and due to the weather we hadn't yet seen "'The Mountain," even from inside the park. The Ohanapecosh area was overcast with low clouds and the most we saw on park roads were a few hints of snowy slopes. But as we drove towards Sunrise, the highest area of the park accessible by car, the sky started to clear. Finally, after one tight curve of a mountain road, there it was, rising in front of us like a giant white sentinel watching over everything. From the parking lot, the Mt. Rainier rises behind the Sunrise Visitors Center (1), with nothing but clear blue behind it. This picture is one of the few moments the summit wasn't covered by lenticular clouds. From the Sourdough Ridge Trail, you can get a better view, without any buildings in the way (2,3). The smaller, sharper, satellite peak to the left is Little Tahoma Peak (3,4), a volcanic remnant that by itself is the third highest point in Washington. Between it and the summit flows the Emmons Glacier (5), the largest of the mountain's twenty-five glaciers. From the other end of the Nature Trail on Sourdough Ridge, you get a sense of the true scale of Mt. Rainier, looming truly gigantic above the Visitors Center and parking lot. From here you can see Little Tahoma Peak, Emmons Glacier including its terminus and the start of the White River, Columbia Crest (the summit), Steamboat Prow (the triangle pointing at the summit), Winthrop Glacier and Liberty Cap (6). Mt. Rainier National Park was my favorite part of our trip to the Pacific Northwest. I feel like we barely scratched the surface and hope one day to go back, spend more time, do more hiking, and really get to know the place. #mtrainier #mtrainiernationalpark #mtrainiersunrise #littletahomapeak #emmonsglacier #columbiacrest #mountains #volcanoes #pacificnorthwest #sunrisevisitorscenter #glacier #lenticularclouds (at Mount Rainier National Park)

[pochaccokid]

Adventure todat the #LonelyMountain, time to find Smaug! Jk. #crystalmountain #littletahomapeak #doubleblackdiamond .... sike! (at Crystal Mountain)