Autumn on "The Mountain"

In the popular imagination, Mount Rainier is commonly thought of as a summer photography location, and understandably so. We've all seen dozens of great images of "The Mountain towering over a field carpeted in paintbrush, lupine, and asters. But Rainier is also a great place for photography in the early autumn, when the wildflowers are replaced by huckleberries, vine maple, and other ground cover in vibrant shades of yellows and oranges.

I didn't make it to Mount Rainier this summer, despite it being only a short drive away. The thick blanket of smoke covering the region from historically-bad wildfires (thank you, climate change) didn't help, nor did reports of an unusually-poor wildflower season. But I certainly wasn't going to stay away for autumn, and made my way to the south side of the park in late September. The autumn color was just peaking at Reflection Lakes, and the huckleberries seemed to have almost been painted in primary colors.







Only the cloudless sky was a bit of a disappointment, and required careful framing to cut out expanses of monotonous blue. But, then, coming down Stevens Canyon on the way back out of the park, I came around a hairpin turn to find a few clouds, probably part of the mountain's own weather system, had added an extra touch of interest, just in time to capture a fine vertical composition, and a wonderful end to the day's shoot.