In hopes of seeing a flower show, headed to Sunrise. Got there pretty late in day, scored a primo parking spot in a very full lot (probably helped that we were past the peak time.) Immediately around the lodge there really wasn't that much color evident (no lupine, etc.) Took this to mean that the flowers were probably at lower elevation and made the day's destination Berkeley Park. This turned out to be not just a good choice but a GREAT choice. Flowers here on this day were some of the best displays I have seen at Rainier in any location (Van Trump, Spray, Summerland etc.)
!Arachnid amarillo!
Red white n blue
Pink paintbrush
Phlox patch
Upper Berkeley Park
Somewhat flat hazy light from clearing storms and marine layer, so mountain views weren't the best, but fine light for all the things we saw up close - flowers, creeks, marmots, birds etc etc.
Marmozilla
Best part of the trip was seeing the point where the main branch of Lodi Creek emerges all of a sudden from a hillside just below trail - must be underground under a small rockslide and then shows up again there.
Bugs intermittently present but not nearly so bad as they often are when flowers are good.
Lousewort etc
Lod Creek after emerging
I had brought along my "Bigfoot" mini skis in order to cash in on August turns for "Turns All Year." So, on the return leg, in the evening, with clouds starting to take over the higher hills, took five laps on the small 150-foot vertical snowpatch just to skiers right of Frozen saddle on the E side of 1st Burroughs. This wasn't the most burly of snowpatches but the access was easy and ecofriendly. Plus the novelty of mini-skiing Sunrise in August was too much to resist. (For those looking for more aesthetic snowpatches in the area to ski, the one coming off the lookers right shoulder of Second Burroughs offers perhaps 1000 vertical in one shot and is still looking decent smooth and filled in. Or 3rd B is still pretty snowy.)
This wasn't really a skiing trip, as I do sometimes. More this was a hike with my family where I *just happened* to have brought my skis along. The Bigfoots are great for this, because the skis themselves are only 2 feet long and easy to pack, and the bindings hook up to any crampon-capable hiking boot. Unfortunately I don't have any good Bigfoot'n pix to satisfy the curious. Guess it's just like that OTHER Bigfoot - elusive and hard to get good pictures of when no one else happens to be there
On final trip back to parking lot walking up the old campground road, looked over our shoulders to see an astonishing low red sun. I guess that phenomena was visible from quite a few places yesterday.
Your pictures are really pretty.
I love the one with the pink flowers and the fluffy q-tip flowers, its really really pretty. You sound like a really good skier!
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