Somewhere it is Friday already.SkyWatch has started for the week.
More Sky Watchers can be found here.
On Sunday "the mountain was out*." The weather was incredible. The Seattle papers had an article about hiking at Mt. Rainier. People responded.
We hiked Sunday as Meadow Rovers--volunteers on the trails offering assistance and reminding people of good hiking manners. Over the course of the afternoon we talked with over 150 other hikers, answering questions, advising about the trail, giving trail maps to those who hadn't picked one up, even providing water to one poorly prepared hiker. These were only a fraction of the hikers we saw at Sunrise. This happens on weekends when "the mountain is out."
On Sunday our destination was the Second Burroughs Mountain trail.
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Talking to people takes time. On Sunday we reached First Burroughs late in the afternoon. We decided that Second Burroughs would be our personal October hike--sometime before the Sunrise Road would close for the season October 13. Calendars suggested that we could camp Friday night and hike Saturday, getting an early start on the trail, hiking without our volunteer uniforms--incognito.
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Sunday night at home I checked the weather forecast. Plans change.
Partly cloudy on Wednesday. After that...
So on Wednesday we hiked to Second Burroughs with an early start and without the mantle of patrolling the trail.
And enjoyed the partly cloudy SkyWatch.
Closer
and closer to the mountain.
In both Seattle and Yakima on Wednesday, the mountain was NOT out.
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But if you go there, the mountain is always OUT.
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*The weather of the Pacific Northwest being what it is, Mt. Rainier is visible in the Seattle and Tacoma area only part of the time. When it is visible, it is like a magnet drawing those who are able to go to its slopes, and those who are not to gaze and get out their cameras. "The mountain is out" is an expression that can be heard on such days.
For an idea of what this implies--why "the mountain" takes on such a role, check out this post from a month ago from Kim at Seattle Daily Photo Blog.
(Portlanders will say the same of Mt. Hood.)
16 comments:
Hi Katney, I like the expression that "the mountain is out". Very evocative.
Suzie and have have a lot of friendly rivalry with our photography. Very often we see things differently as well, and then wonder why we did not think of that ourselves.
What a wonderful hike that must have been. I'd never heard the expression the mountain is out. I like it.
Happy Sky Watch ;-)
Beautiful - you can be my trail guide any time. I love the idea of the mountain being "out" - very cool. And I completely understand. Sometimes I wait for my house to be "out". :-) You can see what I mean by going to http://reluctantfarmchik.com/the-sky-and-the-barn
Hi Katney! You have such awesome shots!
I've never heard that expression, great photos you took on the way.
Tried twice and missed the mountain both times! You are blessed you see it.
In Vancouver, we see Mt. Hood a lot! Only occasionally is it too cloudy. I love seeing it from the Columbia River but there are other spots in town to see it AND Mt. St. Helens.
I will have a sky photo after midnight -- got another photo up for Thursday.
I wish I was there to take some photos of that. Wow, that is beautiful.
Wow that must have been a wonderful excursion !!
Made me smile hearing, "the mountain is out" :-) Love those last shots of the snow at the top. Very nice!
Such exciting photos. Wish I could have joined you.
I lived in Switzerland at the foot of the Jura Mountains. But some lucky days, when atmospheric conditions were right, the glorious tall Alps would become visible way to the south, across Lake Neuchatel. Almost like a mirage. Like not connected to the earth. Levitating. I'd always drop everything, except the camera, and run down to the lake before they disappeared again.
Funny, I also said "The Alps are out!"
Beautiful photos ... all
:-Daryl
Nice shots and what a wonderful hike.
Katney, your photos here are amazing but then they ALWAYS are. Would love to do that hike but I think my hikes and walks may be limited for a little while or at least just to very light leisure walks.
I'm just wanting to take some small steps into the blogging world and say hello and thanks for your kind comments in the past week or so...
Have a nice weekend!
{Hug}
~Michele~
What a wonderful place to live where you are close enough to go hike on a big mountain like that and still live in the city.
Lucky you. Wonderful to have real wilderness at your doorstep and caring for it as well.
Sorry this is such a ramble but I have been smitten by the dreaded lurgy.
I have not heard the expression "the mountain is out", but from your photos, I can see that it surely is out. It is sure beautiful up there in the Pacific Northwest.
I'm still trying to catch up with all of the Skywatch photos. This is a beautiful series, Katney! I like the expression "the mountain is out".
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