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Opus Wannabe
Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics Location: The big rock candy mountain |
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Opus
Wannabe
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:42 am
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Indian summer weekend! Too good to pass up, so another hike was in order for sunday. Lookout Mountain was excellent the day before, if knee-punishing, so we looked for another fire lookout hike with a mellower approach. I hadn't been to Shriner for a few years so down to Rainier we went.
At the trailhead we were suprised to see a large group of cars arranged on the shoulder! We were able to park right by the trailhead sign and started heading up. Right away we were passed as we creakily walked along on stiff knees. After a few milies we finally emerged from the trees and into the remnants of an excellent fall color display. Many of the berry bushes had shed their leaves but an equal number held on with brilliant red glowing in the low sun.
Rainier appears suddenly on this trip as you crest a small ridge. It really sneaks up on you. We of course stopped for some photos here before moving on with Rainier now constanly on the horizon. Dropping back into the valley near the creek the ground was frozen with ice crystals in the soil. The creek itself was totally dry.
The plants lining the trail for the final climb were especially brilliant! Bright red everywhere! And just over the last ridge we spotted the lookout, securely boarded up for the winter. We also found a large Mountaineers group here - explaining all the cars. The left soon enough and we poked around the campsites and mountaintop.
On the way down we were constantly surprising chipmunks and squirrels rustling in the fallen leaves. I'd never seen so many in one trip! We even spotted a grouse, I hadn't seen one in awhile. Excellent trip for a clear fall day, best Rainier view I've seen!
Shriner Peak trip photos
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Trevor Member
Joined: 31 Jan 2004 Posts: 1562 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
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Trevor
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:24 am
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Beautiful photographic opuses, Opus. The vertical-lookout compo. is certainly one of merit.
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Backpacker Joe Blind Hiker
Joined: 16 Dec 2001 Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics Location: Cle Elum |
Im with Treb. Great shots Opie.
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
— Abraham Lincoln
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Davidą Token Canadian
Joined: 25 Jul 2002 Posts: 3040 | TRs | Pics Location: The Great White North |
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Davidą
Token Canadian
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:02 am
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Admin Note: The contents of this post were lost in a database crash.
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Dean (aka CascadeHiker)
Joined: 02 Mar 2002 Posts: 1967 | TRs | Pics Location: ex Kennewick, Wa & Lehi Utah |
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Dean
(aka CascadeHiker)
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:34 am
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Very nice pics and trip report. I posted a link to this thread at my Summitpost Shriner Peak page. Please feel free to add your pics there as well and sign the log book. Shriner is such a nice hike to a lookout and the views of Rainier are choice. High Rock is another great viewpoint.
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Opus Wannabe
Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 3700 | TRs | Pics Location: The big rock candy mountain |
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Opus
Wannabe
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:58 am
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David & Karen wrote: | Shriner Lookout has been on my radar for some time - it looks like a difficult hike to really capture in photos but you have done an admirable job - best I've seen so far. I like the balance of #3 (although at first I thought that hiker had a child carrier).
~David |
Thanks! I went up Shriners a few years ago with similar conditions. I wasn't happy with those photos so I wanted to try again. The hikers on the hillside would have been better if they were't so fast! When I framed it the others were out of sight, then right on the shot that second head popped up!
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Tazz Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7902 | TRs | Pics
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Tazz
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:26 pm
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This is a great peak to snow shoe up and camp. Great sunrise shots in the morning! Nice Opus!!
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Sabahsboy Member
Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Posts: 2484 | TRs | Pics Location: SW Sno County |
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Sabahsboy
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Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:21 pm
Shriner Pk.
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Super colors and wonderous photos!
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Beave Member
Joined: 21 Dec 2001 Posts: 276 | TRs | Pics Location: Woodinville |
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Beave
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Thu Oct 26, 2006 10:11 pm
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Great pics!! I was hoping for similar fall colors when I was down that way on the same weekend. Guess I didn't get high enough on the peaks I hiked. Oh well, great inspiration to get this one done, sometime soon. That snowshoe camp-out sounds like a helluva' idea as well.
Thanks!
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sarbar Living The Dream
Joined: 28 Jan 2002 Posts: 8055 | TRs | Pics Location: Freeland, Wa |
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sarbar
Living The Dream
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Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:06 am
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I did Shriner last year and we got it to ourselves. A thick fog and cloud combo rolled in the late evening (we started hiking at 4 pm.....) and spent the night in our tents at the end of the ridge in the farthest campsite. We couldn't see anything past a couple inches. It was so beautiful! The wind would move and the clouds with it. Was one of my best backpacking nights.
That and it was so quiet up there. Just the wind. That is area where you can look out and see nothing but ridge after ridge of nothing but trees
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