We've been suffering through a serious heatwave here in the PNW, and in the Yakima Valley it's been over 105° highs for the last 7 days straight. `Torrid` is the word I've been using to describe it, thanks to Cliff Mass. My cousin Justin and friend Ryan drove up from Colorado to climb Mt Rainier in a single push. I decided it was time to take another visit to Paradise, this time on a pre-dawn hike up Skyline Trail to meet them on their way down.
Justin and Ryan summited at 10pm, so I left my campsite at 1:30a and drove up the switchbacks to Paradise. Heading up the Skyline trail at 3am, it was a new moon but you could clearly see the headlamps of climbers up high, and the Milky Way was visible in high fidelity. At times, I just turned off my headlamp and let my eyes adjust to the ambient surroundings, to fully immerse in the experience.
I recently got an iPhone 13 mini and am falling more and more in love with its night mode option on the camera. The first few photos in the set below were taken using this mode. I'm amazed at how it can detect the stars, outlines of features...even without the use of a tripod. It's one of my favorite new features of the device in a very long time.
I hiked up to McClure Rock from Paradise, then scrambled further higher on the Sugarloaf, reaching close to 8,000'. The twilight was filling in and I found a rest spot to enjoy the lightshow. What surprised me most about this quick trip is the beauty of the Tatoosh Range, located south of Mt Rainier and in direct sightline of Mt Adams. The range is rugged and steep, with lingering snowfields that gave them an appreciated definition that I won't soon forget.
These photos below are just an initial handful from the larger collection I'm working on. More to come.
iOS night photo: Mt Rainier from Skyline trail @ 0400hrs. You can see how there is much interpolation, giving the image a brushed look. I'm down with this!
iOS night photo: Mt Rainier from Skyline trail @ 0500hrs. Less interpolation, more definition. This was about 40mins before Sunrise, but the camera sensor was able to provide decent fidelity.
30 minutes before sunrise, the Tatoosh Range is bathed in early light. iOS 13 sensor.
First light illuminates the seracs and cornices between 13,000 and 14,000 feet on Mt Rainier. Wilson Glacier headwall (left) and upper Nisqually Glacier (right).
The Tatoosh Range illuminated in the early morning sunrise, with the Mt Adams volcano looming in the bakcground.
First light illuminates the Lava Glacier and Adams Glacier on the north side of Mt Adams (12,276').
Early morning sunlight illuminates the cleaver saparating lower Nisqually Glacier from Wilson Glacier, on Mt Rainier.
The Tatoosh Range illuminated in the early morning sunrise, with Goat Rocks Wilderness and the Mt Adams volcano looming in the bakcground.
Pinnacle Peak (6,562') and Plummer Peak (6,370') in the Tatoosh Range.
