Nancy & I went up to Mt. Rainier yesterday to check the progress on the bloom. Things are looking good for a robust bloom! And to add to that there is still a LOT of snow just above Paradise Lodge to add to the visual appeal.
In the image here I am on the trail from Paradise Lodge to Myrtle Falls. The slopes in the background are above Skyline Trail which itself is still under snow in many places.
All the bright green fields are FULL of flower buds close to blooming - YAHOO!!!!
We also hiked up Fourth Crossing but only got some 75 yards up the trail before encountering all covering snow. So we turned back at that point. It doesn't look good for blooms on that trail anytime "soon"...
Based on what we saw I would guess that the next two weeks are going to be the most we will have to wait for full bloomin madness inbetween snow fields.
Reflection Lake which is lower in altitude still had some snow around it in places but was snow free in the lake itself. We got fogged in so we didn't get any shots at that spot. BTW it was a nippy 37 degrees when we pulled up in the bimmer - so the bimmer said at least...brrrr!!
The morning was nice and quiet with few people about until 9am when someone opened the flood gates and the masses started showing up in droves. We left for lunch at the Naches Tavern in Greenwater WA on highway 410. Damn good eats after getting up at 2:30am to be at Reflection Lake at sunrise!!
Posted by Darren White on August 3, 2008 at 10:05 PM
Thanks...I am hoping to get up there in the next month or so.........I just need to find a 2 day time frame to get there!!!!
Posted by Cliff Dodge on August 3, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Still pretty chilly up there eh? I got a week off after next week so may have to hit that area on the way back from where ever the heck else we are going. Thinking of the cascade lakes and mckenzie hiways, or, just camping in eastern wa. somewhere. Not really a photo trip, just time to get out and relax. Thanks for the update on Rainier.
Thanks for the update Rick, I figured it'd be at least the middle of the month before we get the good flowers. Sunrise, from what I've seen online so far, will be ready much sooner.
Posted by James Walley on August 4, 2008 at 6:52 AM
Rick, you should have stuck it out at Reflection Lakes -- although it was fogged-in earlier, the fog started to lift around 6:10 and was completely clear by 6:23 (at least according to the time-stamp on my images). Sure, you didn't get the earliest moments of sunrise, but there was still plenty of directional early-morning light to make for some good photos. (I don't have image-posting privileges here, and it will take me a couple of days to work through the PP queue, but I'll try to put up a link to some examples later.)
Also, those who drove past Reflection a short distance got a great Rainier sunrise from the pullout just above Lake Louise. The fog you mention ran downhill between Reflection and Louise, on a line that was almost a mirror image of the east slope of Rainier towering above it. Again (hopefully), I'll post an image link in a couple of days.
BTW, judging by the roadside blooms at the top of Cayuse, I would guess that the flowers would be great at Tipsoo this week.
Posted by Kevin Pieper on August 4, 2008 at 9:30 AM
I was at Sunrise a week ago and the flowers were getting close. I would bet they are peaking right now!
The road between Sunrise and Paradise is open but do note that a LOT of it right now is NOT paved and under construction so expect some delays during the week! We drove our new BMW and I was less than pleased to see the dirt road. It wasn't terribly bad but still...
In the end this was a minor nit on an otherwise fun day!! But "Gunther" (aka the new BMW) needed a bath after that road trip!! LOL!!
Hey thanks for the update Rick, I'll be heading up that way soon after I return from the Palouse.
David M. Cobb
Posted by James Walley on August 5, 2008 at 2:19 AM
It seems to me that WA 123 (Cayuse Pass) is perpetually in one of two "under" states:
1) Under snow, or
2) Under construction.
Seriously, I've driven that route to Rainier frequently since 2005 (living in Maple Valley, it's a lot shorter than the west-side drive, even to Paradise), and can count the number of times without road closures or 45-minute delays on the fingers of one foot.
Besides, compared to the roadwork carnage on the Hurricane Ridge Road a couple of weeks ago, Route 123 seems like I-5 on a Sunday morning.
I went up to Sunrise today. The lupine are looking good. Still a couple weeks away from peak, but its very photographable already. The best patch is just up the Sourdough Ridge trail from the parking lot, not even 1000 feet in. No flowers worth note in the Berkley Park area though.
Posted by John Lehmkuhl on August 5, 2008 at 7:21 PM
Rick, is there road construction (gravel) between paradise and Tipsoo lake ? I'm there Mon-Wed. of next week and wanted to hike around there for either sunrise or sunet. I know a few little lakes in that area up higher that will hopefully be blooming when I'm there.
The gravel sections start south of Chinook Pass and go almost all the way to the turn off for Paradise. They are in 100 yard sections or so. Just when ya think you are clear of them another one pops up.
The good news is they are relatively smooth and pothole free. A few did have some washboard on them.
John please feel free to share the locations of said lakes!
Posted by James Walley on August 6, 2008 at 4:35 AM
Since, as I mentioned earlier, I don't yet have posting privileges here, here is a link to one of my shots of the sunrise from that spot by Lake Louise, just where the fog cleared east of Reflection Lakes:
Posted by John Lehmkuhl on August 7, 2008 at 1:10 PM
Wow, that second shot is really beautiful, James. Actually both are really nice. I'll have to visit this lake for a sunrise.
Posted by Bryan Swan on August 12, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Quick update, flowers - paintbrush especially - are looking really really good below 5200 feet near Paradise, but the meadows themselves are still recovering from the thaw. Still a good 2-3 weeks off from peak. Snow is pretty much gone until you get above the Skyline trail.
Discussion
15 repliesNancy & I went up to Mt. Rainier yesterday to check the progress on the bloom. Things are looking good for a robust bloom! And to add to that there is still a LOT of snow just above Paradise Lodge to add to the visual appeal.
In the image here I am on the trail from Paradise Lodge to Myrtle Falls. The slopes in the background are above Skyline Trail which itself is still under snow in many places.
All the bright green fields are FULL of flower buds close to blooming - YAHOO!!!!
We also hiked up Fourth Crossing but only got some 75 yards up the trail before encountering all covering snow. So we turned back at that point. It doesn't look good for blooms on that trail anytime "soon"...
Based on what we saw I would guess that the next two weeks are going to be the most we will have to wait for full bloomin madness inbetween snow fields.
Reflection Lake which is lower in altitude still had some snow around it in places but was snow free in the lake itself. We got fogged in so we didn't get any shots at that spot. BTW it was a nippy 37 degrees when we pulled up in the bimmer - so the bimmer said at least...brrrr!!
The morning was nice and quiet with few people about until 9am when someone opened the flood gates and the masses started showing up in droves. We left for lunch at the Naches Tavern in Greenwater WA on highway 410. Damn good eats after getting up at 2:30am to be at Reflection Lake at sunrise!!
Also, those who drove past Reflection a short distance got a great Rainier sunrise from the pullout just above Lake Louise. The fog you mention ran downhill between Reflection and Louise, on a line that was almost a mirror image of the east slope of Rainier towering above it. Again (hopefully), I'll post an image link in a couple of days.
BTW, judging by the roadside blooms at the top of Cayuse, I would guess that the flowers would be great at Tipsoo this week.
In the end this was a minor nit on an otherwise fun day!! But "Gunther" (aka the new BMW) needed a bath after that road trip!! LOL!!
David M. Cobb
1) Under snow, or
2) Under construction.
Seriously, I've driven that route to Rainier frequently since 2005 (living in Maple Valley, it's a lot shorter than the west-side drive, even to Paradise), and can count the number of times without road closures or 45-minute delays on the fingers of one foot.
Besides, compared to the roadwork carnage on the Hurricane Ridge Road a couple of weeks ago, Route 123 seems like I-5 on a Sunday morning.
The good news is they are relatively smooth and pothole free. A few did have some washboard on them.
John please feel free to share the locations of said lakes!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/regnaDkciN/Mount%20Rainier/2008-08-03/20080803_0006.jpg
And here is a shot after the fog cleared at Reflection Lakes, taken at 6:30 A.M.:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a366/regnaDkciN/Mount%20Rainier/2008-08-03/20080803_0042.jpg