A Cloud show from Mount Rainier, WA

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 10:16 am

Those are amazing photos! Coming from the relatively flat east coast of the US, I was extremely impressed when I visited Mt. Rainier. Perhaps even more impressive is being able to see it when from Seattle which is about 70 miles away.

Madeleine · Post by **Madeleine** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 11:22 am

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]I did actually think "they look a little like saucers" in some of the images.

SM[/quote]

I thought that too, especially in the ones with the sun either lighting them or reflecting off them, I bet this would explain some UFO sightings at least!

they're lovely though.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 12:50 pm

[quote=""SonjaMarie""]I did actually think "they look a little like saucers" in some of the images.

SM[/quote]

I thought the samething. I wondered how many UFO calls they got at the police station. That is wicked impressive. I have never seen anything like that before!

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 2:46 pm

[quote=""Divia""]I thought the samething. I wondered how many UFO calls they got at the police station. That is wicked impressive. I have never seen anything like that before![/quote]

Nah, it's quite common for those clouds to form over Rainier, but not in quite such an abundance. Rainier literally makes it's own weather at times, and it is quite an impressive little mountain. And the snow she gets, where else can you drive to 5500' in early July and still have snow over two stories high? Let alone the wildflowers once the snow does melt.

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 3:16 pm

Here's some pictures from visitrainier.com,

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 6:09 pm

What freaks me out about Mt. Rainier is that it's still an active volcano and if it ever decided to pop it's top, we're in for some deep shit! Or at least Tacoma is, but we're quite near Tacoma as well!

SM

LCW · Post by **LCW** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 11:02 pm

Gorgeous!! I'm always amazed and awed at the beauty of the natural world!! Thanks for sharing!

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Wed December 10th, 2008, 11:09 pm

Here's me at Mt. Rainier. This was in April, 2006. Look at how high the snow is in the parking lot!

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Thu December 11th, 2008, 12:43 am

Very cool Susan. You must go back in late summer when the snow's melted and the wildflowers are out. The hiking is superb but a bit steep at times. It's really cool once you get high enough from the Paradise parking lot and eventually you can see Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood. Me and a pal almost made it to Panorama Point a few years ago but fell and 500 or so feet short.

I don't think I've ever seen that parking lot so empty. Come summertime its like the parking lots at Costco in December

SonjaMarie, yes one of these days the mountain is going to wake up and we have that good old Lahar thing happening. I'm in the Kent valley so I suspect I'll be instant toast. Ah, remember when Saint Helens blew....

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Thu December 11th, 2008, 1:11 am

[quote=""Misfit""]Very cool Susan. You must go back in late summer when the snow's melted and the wildflowers are out. The hiking is superb but a bit steep at times. It's really cool once you get high enough from the Paradise parking lot and eventually you can see Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood. Me and a pal almost made it to Panorama Point a few years ago but fell and 500 or so feet short.

I don't think I've ever seen that parking lot so empty. Come summertime its like the parking lots at Costco in December

[/quote]

There was no one at the lot except us! In fact, there weren't many people in the park at all. The snow on the sides of the road while we were driving up had to have been 12 feet high. We also went to Mt. St. Helens the same day. You have no idea how amazing this all is to east coasters. I live in a state where the highest point is 1,803 feet! I'd love to go back in the summer except my daughter who lives in Seattle is here in the summer. She's an athletic trainer at Seattle Pacific University and spends her summers off here.