Sourdough Ridge from Sunrise and Sunrise Point in Mt. Rainier National Park.
Archive for May, 2010
Sourdough Ridge in Mount Rainier National Park
Sunrise Point Panorama
Panorama from Sunrise Point in Mt. Rainier National Park. From left to right: Crystal Mountain, Yakima Peak, Natches Peak, Governors Ridge, Tamanos Mountain, Goat Island Mountain, Cowlitz Chimneys, Little Tahoma, and Mt. Rainier. The White River is in the foreground.
11 exposures stitched, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM @ 17mm
Roads
Sunrise Park Road and the Mather Memorial Parkway – Looking down from Sunrise Point.
The Cowlitz Chimneys
The Cowlitz Chimneys are comprised of the Main (south) Chimney (7600 feet or 2 316 m), the Central (middle) Chimney (7420 feet or 2 261 m) and the North Chimney (7015 feet or 2 138 m). The Chimneys lie to the East of Mt. Rainier and just south of the Goat Island and Tamanos Mountains. These shots are taken from Sunrise in Mt. Rainier National Park.
Silver Lake Provincial Park Reflection
Wells Peak reflected on Silver Lake in Silver Lake Provincial Park, just outside of Hope, BC.
Buildings at Sunrise / Yakima Park
The buildings at Sunrise in Mt. Rainier National Park.
The Sunrise Visitor Center / Ranger Station
The “Yakima Stockade Group” at Sunrise.
Sunrise / Yakima Park
Sunrise (also known as Yakima Park) is an area near Mt. Rainier that has a different assortment of plants compared to the areas I had visited on earlier trips (Longmire through Stevens Canyon). A large part of this is likely due to elevation as the parking lot at Sunrise is at an elevation of 6400 feet or 1950 meters.
When I ventured up to Sunrise last September I wandered around the parking lot a bit wondering where to go next. From Sunrise Point I had seen the clouds approaching the Sourdough Mountains and thought I should likely get my shots of Rainier and the surrounding area in pretty fast (I was correct). A park ranger was looking at the clouds coming down over the Sourdough Ridge and suggested that I get a jacket on as the temperature was “about to drop and get ugly fast”. I said “thanks for the advice”.
The advice I ignored.
About 20 minutes later I think the temperature probably dropped 10° C, the clouds became darker and the top of the ridge was suddenly hard to see. It became windy. I retrieved my jacket. When I walked past her again she said “Hey nice jacket”. I think that comment had less to do with my jacket (which was nice) and more to do with the fact that we both knew she had been right. Maybe I’ll listen next time.
A few wildflowers from the Sunrise area. Alpine Aster (Aster alpigenus) and a flower gone to see that I have yet to identify.
Sourdough Mountains Panorama
Panorama of the Sourdough Mountains from Sunrise Point in Mt. Rainier National Park. From left to right: Dege Peak, Marcus Peak, and The Palisades. Taken at the same place as my earlier post with Sunrise Lake in the foreground.
9 exposures stitched, Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM @ 17mm


