medium - large
Every summer the mountains are calling me! This year, instead of visiting my old friend Colorado, I decided to see some new places. I've never been to the Sierra Nevadas in California, or to the Cascades and Olympics in Washington. Why not see both in one week! The rental car companies hate me already, so who cares if I tack on a few thousand more miles. I flew from Minneapolis to Reno, then spent 4 days near Lake Tahoe and the eastern Sierras. Next was a 5 day trip from Seattle throughout the north Cascades and Olympic Peninsula. So much to see and so little vacation time. Here we go!
(Note to Internet Explorer 6 users: IE 6 likes to shrink large-size images automatically. To change this browser behavior, go to Tools-Options, then the Advanced tab, then in the Multimedia section uncheck "Enable Automatic Image Resizing")
View all Thumbnail-sized pictures - View all Medium-sized pictures
medium - large | When you crest the mountain ridges above Lake Tahoe, its a stunning sight to look down upon this deep blue gem of a lake. I drove around the west side, then hiked up into the Desolation Wilderness above the southwest corner. This photo shows Cascade Lake in the foreground. |
 medium - large | Bodie California is a remarkably well-preserved gold mining town, in the harsh high desert of the eastern Sierras. |
 medium - large | During its peak in the 1880's, there were up to 10,000 residents and 65 saloons. Until it faded away in the 1940's, the underground mines generated close to $100 million. |
 medium - large | Today its a well preserved State Park in the desolate sagebrush. Just watch out for wind storms. As I was walking back to my car, a spooky dust devil spun dust and gravel everywhere (but who cares about the scratches, its a rental car!) |
 medium - large | Highway 395 travels down the dry, rugged eastern side of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. Strange Mono Lake and numerous volcanic craters fill the valley below. |
 medium - large | Mono Lake has been an environmental battleground in recent decades, since its water levels have been drained to feed Los Angeles, threatening wildlife. As it has lowered, brilliant white tufa towers rise near the southern shore. |
 medium - large | The Palisade area of the Sierras has towering 14,000 foot peaks and some of Californias only glaciers. There's a good paved road leading up here from south of Bishop. |
 medium - large | First Lake is a 4 or 5 mile hike from the trailhead, up about 2000 feet. The distinctive turquoise color of this lake is similar to other glacier-fed lakes, like those near Banff and Lake Louise in Canada. |
 medium - large | This was a long and tiring climb for me (hey, I promise to be in better shape next year!), and it was hot, even at 9000 feet. But the effort is worth it when you sit next to a beautiful wilderness lake. |
 medium - large | El Capitan, Yosemite National Park. This famous valley is surrounded by monster granite walls rising 3000 feet or more. Haze and smoke from nearby controlled burns limited the views, but added to the mystical feel of this place. |
 medium - large | I ended my first visit to the Sierras by driving across Ebbetts Pass. This is a fun, narrow paved road - one of the few roads crossing the middle of the Sierras. I hiked a short distance on the Pacific Crest Trail which crosses near the summit. This hiking trail travels over 2600 miles from Mexico to Canada, and 'thru-hiking' it in one season is the dream of every serious backpacker. |
 medium - large | Quiet lake north of Ebbetts Pass. |
 medium - large |
 medium - large | I flew from Reno to Seattle for a few days of exploring in the Cascades. I drove up the fantastic road to Artist Point near Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan in far northern Washington. On a nice day, I highly recommend this excellent drive! |
 medium - large | Mount Baker is one of the volcanic monarchs of the northern Cascades. The Ptarmigan Ridge trail from Artist Point climbs closer and closer, crossing deep snowfields even in late August. This area holds the world record for seasonal snowfall - around 100 FEET of snow in one winter! |
 medium - large | The trail has far-ranging vistas in every direction. Canada is somewhere out there in the sea of peaks. |
 medium - large | This is neighboring Mount Shuksan from high up on Ptarmigan Ridge. |
 medium - large | Mount Shuksan, seen here from the lake below Artist Point, is considered one of the most beautiful mountains in North America. I've been fortunate to see many scenic places over the years. But this place blew me away. The deep old growth forests along the Mount Baker highway, the top-of-the-world views from Artist Point, the snow covered Ptarmigan Ridge snaking up to the glaciers of Mount Baker. And the alpenglow on Mount Shuksan. What more can I say. |
 medium - large | I drove across to the Olympic Peninsula, visiting the Hoh Rain Forest area of Olympic National Park. This is one of the rainiest and densist forests outside of a jungle. There are some good nature trails here, with drooping moss covering everything. Even the road into this area has dark walls of trees hovering over the road (with the exception of a nasty clear-cut right next to the road - thanks Weyerhauser!) |
 medium - large | Moss smothers everything here. At the visitor center, a pay phone is covered. Along the trails, almost every branch and tree trunk is draped. Sounds are muffled, and its dark and shady even in the midday sun. |
 medium - large | It was a blast to see the Pacific Ocean again. I haven't been back since my 1993 bike tour down the coast. Ruby Beach is within the coastal strip of Olympic National Park - one of the last remaining wild and undeveloped coastlines in the lower 48 states. |
 medium - large | Inland, it was sunny and warm today. But the beaches, tidepools, and seastacks on the shore were cool with mist and fog. |
 medium - large | Another scenic and popular drive in the Olympic National Park leads up a vertical mile to Hurricane Ridge. |
 medium - large | Today was a fun birthday! Gorgeous weather and great hiking on Mount Rainier! This mountain reigns supreme in the Pacific Northwest. The Sunrise area in the northeast section of the national park has excellent trails (but don't expect solitude!). |
 medium - large | The trail up Burroughs Mountain offers great views of the Emmons Glacier spilling down from the summit. |
 medium - large | I've climbed thirteen of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. And some were nearly as high as Mount Rainier. But the immensity of this mountain overwhelms any peak I've ever seen or climbed. I could not get a sense of scale looking up at the rivers of ice filled with crevasses. I guess I'll just have to climb Rainier one of these years! |