Anvil Rock (9584')/Muir Snowfield Ski

The crowds were thick at Paradise (Mt. Rainier National Park). March was well into the Pandemic and this would be my last foray away from home for many months. Once I got above Panorama Point there were few people and skinning right side towards Anvil Rock voided the slopes of mouth juicers. The skiing above 7500’ or so was difficult to say the least, but lower elevations saw softer snow. This allowed me to ski the Panorama face, something I had skirted in the past. Another example of the differences one can encounter when back country vice resort skiing; it can be humbling. Stats: 8 miles/4400’ The Anvil Rock trip report can be found here.

Mt. Rainier: Cowlitz Rocks (7450')

I ventured out as the pandemic was getting serious for a solitary skin/ski on March 18th, 2020. The low angled terrain made for more skinning than skiing; this jaunt could just as easily have been done on snowshoes. The weather was superb, though, and besides a couple of snow shoers heading in a different direction my time outside was devoid of people.

Tamanos Mountain (6790')

Another peak in Mount Rainier National Park; I am slowly working on climbing park peaks on the 100 list. Tamanos Mountain (6790’) was accessed from the White River entrance to the park, taking the Owyhigh Lakes trail. This video picks up after leaving the established trail and accessing the climbers trail to the saddle, turning right and skirting rock outcroppings on the left to the summit. The blog post for Tamanos can be found here. Another beautiful day in the park!

Sunshine Point (MRNP)

Sunshine Point is just a short way inside Mt. Rainier National Park from the Nisqually entrance. When my kids were little, we would camp here in my pickup truck for a few days as they played in the woods and explored the Nisqually River flood plain. Alas, in November of 2006 severe flooding washed away a portion of the (drive-in) campground and access road and it was closed forevermore. In October of 2019 I ‘schwacked into the old campground and took a stroll, noting the degradation of the picnic tables and the robustness of the metal trash cans. Nostalgia was in the air. (NOTE: I’ve edited this video after a tour in June, 2022. It’s now a longer version that encompasses what’s left of the campground and has also been incorporated in the “SHORTS” pulldown.)

Tahtlum Peak (6567')

Tahtlum Peak (6567’) is accessed in Mt. Rainier National Park from Chinook Pass. After hiking south on the Pacific Crest Trail, I proceeded left towards Tahtlum, crossing a couple of significant bumps in the terrain along the way. This made for a relaxed day with only 8 miles and 2600’ of climb. View the blog post on Tahtlum Peak here, especially to see the massiveness of Mt. Rainier compared to the video, which (because of the wide angle lens) minimizes objects in the distance.

TumTum Peak (4678')

I was hoping for clearing later in the day; TumTum is a wooded summit so there were no views to be expected. Knocking this off first would allow me to hit Ararat later. Alas, no clearing was forthcoming and instead the rain turned to snow. Ararat deserved better weather so I called it a day. It may look kinda miserable, but any day in the woods is a good one. Stats for the day: 14 miles/5000’ TumTum blog post can be found here.

Mount Rainier: Select Summits

41 summit and high point video in Mt. Rainier National Park from a compilation over a few years. In order.....Burroughs Mountains, Skyscraper, Mt. Ruth, Steamboat Prow, Goat Island Mountain, Curtis Ridge, Aurora Peak, Andrew, Tokaloo Rock, Success Divide/Cleaver, Satulick Mountain, Iron Mountain, Copper Mountain, Pyramid Peak, The Colonnade, Shriner Peak, Brown Peak, Slide Mountain, The Palisades, Antler Peak, Dege Peak, McNeeley Peak, Hessong Rock, Mt. Pleasant, Echo Rock, Observation Rock, Ptarmigan Ridge Prominence, Russell Glacier, Fay Peak, Knapsack Pass, Tolmie Peak, Martin Peak, August Peak, Virginia Peak, Berry Peak, Banshee Peak, Panhandle Gap, Whitman Crest, Meany Crest, plus a no view shot of Gobblers Knob at the end.

Mt. Adams RTM Off-Trail Timelapse

Mike Woodsmansee's book, Trekking Washington, describes how to negotiate the substantial off trail portion on Mt. Adam's east side. I used this as a guide, relying mostly on line of sight and altimeter, to negotiate this section when completing this Round The Mountain trek. Because this hike is so rarely done, at least when one searches for internet content, I attached a GoPro to my shoulder strap and set it to take one photo per second. Although not easy to watch, I am making this video available for people willing to undertake this strenuous journey to at least get a feel for what the terrain is like. Despite being only about 5 miles, it took me nearly 8 hours to negotiate the eastern off trail portion. This section is on the Yakama Reservation, so make sure you are legal to cross this land. When I did this hike on June 24-25, 2015, the Yakama had opened their boundaries early due to lack of snow. I camped (and parked) at the Cold Springs campground so did not need a permit as I transited the Reservation in one day and did not bed down until off Yakama land, finishing the loop hike CCW on day 2. Although I have portions of a GPX track, my device lost contact a number of times so it is not complete enough to make available. Besides, anyone attempting this trek should have enough skill, experience and confidence to undertake the task without handholding. This proved to be a tough but extremely rewarding journey. I hope this time lapse is of help to anyone researching and undertaking this trek. To download this video go to the Vimeo link below.