The Mountain

Thar she blows, "the mountain" as Washingtonians refer to Mt Rainier. I have a special affection for her as my mother climbed and skied the flanks above Paradise during the years before WWII, worked there in summers during college, and although my family moved away from Seattle when I was 4, I was raised with the firm admonition that there was no place on earth that compared to Mt Rainier and our state.

We hiked lower today and I was able to get a portrait of her that was not blown out by the intense light of yesterday and being so close. I always think of Hokusai's 1,ooo Views of Mt Fuji when I take photos of Mt Rainier. She is so ever-changing and looms into view from so many places that are a normal part of anyone's day in the region.