Perilous Beauty

Isn’t it interesting what can stem from a single, simple thought?

In a conversation last spring, SHH mentioned something about the moon over Mt. Rainier. I was puzzled until she explained that her kitchen window perfectly framed the mountain. She spoke so eloquently and with such an appreciation for her unique view, that I decided to share her thoughts with my husband, who loves mountain vistas. I was certain that he would “ooh” and “aah,” but he just sat there quietly. I probed, “I thought you would love this.” His response? “Well, I don’t just want to hear about it; I want to go there and see it!”


The mountain had not been visible for about a week when we arrived in Washington, and SHH warned that if she could not see it in her window, we shouldn’t bother trying to hike it. (Oh, my hubby would have been quite disappointed.) As late as Monday, the day before the scheduled trek, Mt. Rainier was still in hiding, and we were all still praying. When we awoke Tuesday morning, there it was! Woohoo!

As we entered the park, we tuned in to the national park radio welcome which aptly described Mt. Rainier as “a glacier-clad volcano of immense proportion . . . you’ll discover a dynamic landscape of perilous beauty.”


[Click here for a better view of the slideshow.]

The photos are arranged chronologically: a surprise view from our hotel window, an invitation to a quick peek from “the” window, a scenic spot behind a lake on the way to the park, and many shots as we continued on and eventually hiked one of the snow-covered trails. It was absolutely gorgeous! My last shot of this special mountain was taken from the airplane window as we headed home – but I’ll wait to share that one in a later post.

No letterboxes did we seek that morning (national park, you know), but I did have opportunity to get some ink on my fingers later that evening. That deserves its own post. ;-)