[awilsondc]

The forecast was looking grim for the weekend, with a narrow window of good weather Saturday morning.  The forecast looked good around the Mount Saint Helens area so I set out Saturday morning for the Norway Pass trailhead to catch a sunrise and climb a couple mountains.  The google maps route took me through Glenoma instead of Randle which I thought odd, I tried to get it to give the the route that goes through Randle but it wouldn't route that way so I just trusted it would get me there.  It didn't.  When I ran across a closed logging gate a good half an hour off of highway 12 I knew I had to quickly come up with a plan B.  I knew I'd need something short in order to make it to any kind of view for sunrise and High Rock Lookout came to mind.  It was close enough and a short enough hike.  I calculated how long it would take to get there and I would just barely make it so I hustled over to the trailhead and started my hike by a little after 6:30.

I hiked at a decent clip and made it to the summit in about 40 minutes, taking a couple photos along the way.  Sunrise was nice, would have been nice to have a few more clouds in the sky but it was nice to chill at the lookout for a few minutes.  I thought about what to do with the rest of my day and thought about climbing Mt Wow which was near by and I hadn't done, but the thought of slogging out a bunch of gain in a forest / bushwhack didn't sound too appealing.  Plummer Peak came to mind.  The Tatoosh range was near by and always has great scenery through out the whole hike.  I went with the repeat with good scenery over the new peak with no views until the top.  I packed up and headed back to the car, then on to Mount Rainier National Park.

Adams with dawn colors

Sun nearing the horizon

Rainier from the lookout

Sunrise

Looking to the mountain

First light on Rainier

High Rock Lookout

Rainier and High Rock

Long way down

Last view of Rainier

Normally for Plummer Peak you'd park at Reflection Lakes and start at the Pinnacle Saddle trail across the road, but the road to Reflection Lakes is closed during the winter season.  To get to Reflection Lakes you have to park at Narada Falls and hike an extra mile and a half to the start of the Pinnacle Saddle Trail.  So that's what I did.  Narada falls was nice, but super icy by the view point from all the frozen spray.  Reflection Lakes was starting to freeze over, still reflective but with visible ice crystal patterns all over the lake.  I hiked to the end of Reflection Lakes and took some photos.  Clouds were really started to moving and I suspected that any views from up on Plummer were quickly diminishing.  I had the though to just head back to the car and skip Pinnacle, so I started heading back the way I came.  My legs didn't like that idea though and started taking me up the Pinnacle Saddle trail so, I obeyed the call and followed their lead.

Narada Falls

Reflection Lake

ICE!

After a bit in the forest, the trail breaks out with views of Rainier.  It was just as beautiful as I had remembered.  This is definitely one of my favorite easy trails in the National Park.  Most of the trail was snow covered.  I had microspikes with me, but never felt the need to put them on.  Soon I reached the saddle and was greeted with views out towards Mt Adams, and over east to Unicorn.  A couple steep sections of snow almost had be breaking out my spikes, but I found a way and soon found myself on the summit!

Snow covered trail

A melted section of trail

Just as gorgeous as I remember it

First views of Plummer

Frozen trail

Nearing the saddle

Pinnacle Saddle

Plummer Peak

Unicorn and Boundary

Pinnacle Peak and The Castle

Goat Rocks

I love the views from up here.  There were clouds mooving in from the west.  Low clouds, that would crash into the east Tatoosh peaks and dissipate as they poured over the mountain tops.  It was mesmerizing to watch.

Clouds dissipating

West Tatoosh Peaks

Adams

Layers - St Helens

Summit pano east

Summit pano west

I probably spent close to an hour on the summit taking the views before it was time to head back.  The views were just as good on the way down.

St Helens lurking

Tahoma

Back at the saddle again

Some peaks across the way

Trail back from Pinnacle Saddle

Love this view!

I popped back over to Reflection Lake to takes a few more photos since the sky had really cleared up.  It was looking like sunset would be a good one.  I really wanted to head up to Paradise for the show, but the gate leading out of the park closes at 5 (sunset was 4:30) and I didn't think it could make it out if I stayed for sunset so I started back for the car.  On the way back I took the loop up and around to Ruby Falls which had a cool icicle octopus clinging to the center of the falls.  I made it back to my car, and back out of the park with plenty of time to spare.  Not a bad day for a plan B!

Reflection Lake

Reflection Lake pano

Log on Reflection Lake

Cascades

Ruby Falls 1

Ruby Falls 2

Ice bubbles

Lane from the road

Pinnacle from the road

[williswall]

[moonspots]

[GaliWalker]

[silence]

Yummy ... delicious shots!

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PHOTOS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/33792231@N00/sets
FILMMAKING: http://www.crestpictures.com/

Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan

[Jake Robinson]