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Mount Rainier
October 4, 2007 | 35 Comments
Mount Rainier, at 14,411 feet, is the loftiest of the Cascade peaks. It is located in Washington state in the northwestern United States (See Map) southeast of Seattle and/or Tacoma.
Relief Map of Washington state. The Cascades run north-south from western Canada to California. The red dot shows Mount Rainier ‘s location.
For centuries, it was called Tacoma or Tahoma by the native Indians, and later local settlers.
It’s the fifth highest peak in the contiguous United States. It is an active volcano that stands nearly 3 miles higher than the lowlands to the west and 1.5 miles higher than the surrounding mountains. This difference in elevation between Mt. Rainier and the surrounding landscape, it is said, makes it an more impressive sight than Mt. Everest.
Hmm… so where is it?
Over there?
Or there?
No, that’s not the one.
Wait. Is that a bird? Or a plane?
That’s …
Mount …
Rainier …
Christine Falls
Silver Falls
Wildflowers
at Paradise Valley
Forests
Bracket fungus on a treetrunk
Little oases under giant Douglas firs and maples
And a lot of ice. See this picture to get an idea.
Mount Rainier is host to twenty-five separate, named glaciers, the largest single-peak glacier system in the United States outside of Alaska.
At Mount Rainier, which has more glacial ice than the rest of the Cascades combined and is among the best studied sites in the nation, the area covered by glaciers shrank by more than a fifth from 1913 to 1994, and the volume of the glaciers by almost one-fourth, the National Park Service says. From 1912 to 2001, the Nisqually Glacier on Mount Rainier retreated nearly a mile.
(Source)
It was dreary and wet. Yet, it was one of the most memorable places we have ever visited.
On our flight back from Seattle, through our window, we saw miles of clouds, and the top of the majestic mountain.
You can see the cone of the active volcano that last erupted 150 years ago, and will erupt again.
More Mount Rainier pics @ terragalleria
Filed Under: Cascades, Mount-Rainier-National-Park, MUSINGS, national park, Photo Essays, TRAVEL, Washington
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35 Comments
We recently went on a road trip that took us past Mount Rainier….and I coulld feel the awe everyone felt just by looking at it
Sigh! ONE place thats been on my wishlist-places-to-visit for a loooooooooooong time. Hope it gets fulfilled soon!
:hmm:
Oh my, pictures are breath taking! Mt. Rainier is on my “must-see” list..thanks for sharing these:)
That last pic. is so cool. At first glance i thought it was snow and didn’t understand but after I read the caption, it was amazing. Nice shot.
Mt. Rainier is beautiful as it is, but your photographs elevate it (pun intended
) even further! Especially loved ‘Wait. Is that a bird? Or a plane?’. Which entrance did you take?
thanks. we took the west entrance. the east side road was closed. – b.
beautiful pictures and equally wonderful description
:yes: :yes:
cheers
Sirisha
WOW!!! Mind blowing pictures!!! Mt. Rainier is beautiful…i went there in july and the snow was still melting, so did not see as many wild flowers. You seem to have picked the right time to go
Loved the picture taken form the plane!
We must go back before the glaciers recede even more! Lovely pics!
I feel for our Longs Peak (the only 14er in RMNP) what folks in Seattle feel for Mt. Rainer. I seek it in every time I step out and it’s very reassuring to see it tower over everything else. It is also my beacon cos I have no sense of direction!
argh ..i’m so jealous ..before we had a kid , we just didn’t venture out much except for the usual spots like LA , vegas , etc..now with a 3 yr old & one more on the way , no idea when we can visit these places… :hmm: :hmm:
One of my must-see-places in the list! Looks b’ful through your camera’s eyes.
Beautiful … enjoyed the scenic trip thru your eyes..er..lens while stting cozily at my desk in Kuwait (sans ticket or visa). Thanks for the trip! Angela
Lovely pictures, i especially love the bracket fungus picture and the wildflowers!
wow, just a couple hours ago me and my colleague discussed Mt. Rainer!!! you must’ve read my mind
the pic of Christine Falls is fabulous!!! we were planning a trip next month:)
Love the pictures! Can’t wait to climb it next year
Ooooof.. I am totally enthralled by the photos bee.. they are seriously breathtaking..:D thanks for the lovely post dear..:D.. This is on my must visit list of places now..:D
Oh My! this one made me Nostalgic
I sure miss our stay at Seattle..! wonderful post
The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people’s reality, and eventually in one’s own.
Thanks to you I saw this beautiful mountain today!
lovely pic of the benches and the one from the flight!
wow breathtaking pictures
wish i could visit toooo
Beautiful beautiful pictures! The paradise valley reminds me of Aspen
Beautiful and breathtaking!
Mind blowing!!! Added to my list of places to see in my lifetime.
Grrrr! I envy you guys! But thanks for the great photos. Its like I were there with u throughout the trip! Thanks Bee!
That last pic is awesome!
what’s left to say?
beautiful as always 
:bow:
great pictures. awesome!!!
beautiful,beautiful dreamy pics!
wow, awwwsome pictures…esp the last one…
Pacific northwest has always been on my ‘to-visit’ list. These photos have bumped it up a few notches. The top of the mountain from the plane is awesome.
Beautiful…..
You should have had a Blog meet with the greatest bloggers out there. Ummmmmm did you ?
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