sourdough mountains

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.