Mount Rainier in mid August
Finally made it to Mt. Rainier after staying on my list for two years
Perfect vertical ecological zones: temperate rainforest → coniferous forest → subalpine meadow → alpine tundra → eternal glacier.
Immense, seated there like a deity looking down upon all living things, while its meltwater nourishes the world below. And so the slopes burst into flowers, pouring all the fervor of life into the brief window between snowmelt and winter.
For half my visit, the mountain hid behind clouds and mist; half the park was also closed because of wildfire. And still, it went straight into my Top 3 national parks.
When I packed up from photographing the mountain beneath the stars, an orange Bolide suddenly streaked across the sky directly overhead.
Unforgettable