Water Falls and Mountain Rises

It's been a few days since this trip (almost a week actually) but I wanted to write about it, because it truly was one of the most photographically rich trails I've been on in a very long time, and was an absolutely awesome experience that I need to do again.

So last Saturday a few hearty photographers and our fearless leader Rakesh headed out to Mt. Rainier from Longmire, headed for Comet Falls and Van Trump Park on the south side of Mt. Rainier. We got there, and as soon as the mountain loomed up above us we pulled over at the Kautz creek trail to take some quick snapshots of the mountain. Proceeding onward, we arrived at the trailhead and geared up, heading out and up the trail, crossing Christine Falls and a meandering and shooting along the river for a while before heading up toward Comet Falls. Our first view of the falls was awe inspiring, but maybe I'm jaded, as I almost felt like it was anti-climactic to see the falls themselves. I'm not typically one who is impressed by "the higher the better" philosophy when it comes to waterfalls, and so even though it was a very pretty waterfall, I found myself chomping more at the bit to see the mountain from Van Trump Park. Looking overhead at where I knew the mountain would be, was a big pile of overcast soupy clouds, and I was a little worried we wouldn't get to see the mountain at all. After taking a vote, we proceeded onward, up the gruelingly steep switchbacks toward Van Trump

Comet Falls from the creekbed

Some Deer met us on the trail, eating and being wary

before heading off to escape the paparrazi

We arrived at Van Trump to find the mountain completely socked in by clouds. But hope loomed on the horizon, as a big patch of blue sky seemed to be slowly making it's way toward the mountain. Rakesh set up his large format camera, and I fed Gray Jays with cookies from my hand. A chipmunk attempted to raid Skye's backpack many times, scittering frantically to grab any scraps of food we or the Jay's might drop.

Gray Jay (image by Skye) eating a cookie out of my hand

And suddenly, I looked up from my little spot on the hill to see that the mountain was beginning to show. I got my camera ready and began shooting, as well as setting up my tripod should the mountain fully escape the clouds. For a while the mountain was in and out, glimpses, teasing, flitting, never quite revealing all.

Hidden by clouds...

And then, the clouds vanished, slipping away to reveal the mountain in it's entirety, and it was gorgeous, amazing, profoundly beautiful in it's majesty. It was amazing to see just how massive it was and to have it revealed that way was an incredible experience!

The Mountain reveals itself

After basking in the sun in the meadow, we decided to stay and watch the sunset, and proceeded slightly onward to a spot in the meadow that had decent framing of the mountain. However, I decided to continue on, I wanted to see what was up on the high ridge overlooking the mountain, and so I continued on the last 1/3 of a mile up to the high ridge, just making it in time to catch the red glow of the sunset beginning to appear on the slopes of the mountain. I was entirely alone, sitting on a rock, my tripod set up and camera shooting away as waterfalls cascaded nearby and the sounds of birds chirping and the wind rushing filled the valleys and moraines and meadows around me.

Mt. Rainier at sunset from the Ridge top

Sundown over the ridges of Mt. Rainier's west slopes

After the sunset I met up with Rakesh and we continued down the trail, stopping once to take pictures of the afterglow on the mountain before entering the trail in darkness, our headlamps bobbing in the night. We met up with the other two a short way down and passed Comet Falls, barely visible in the starlight, as we continued on, stopping occassionally to turn out our lights and gaze at the stars. It was an amazing trip, and a privilage to see the mountain from a vantage point not seen often on postcards or in books. I can't wait to come back and see the mountain again, the sooner the better!