Rainier and Upper Tipsoo Lake

coscorrosa

Last night (the 4th), I drove up to Mt. Baker to take shots at sunset, and about 30 miles before I got there, the road (Highway 542) was closed for 2 hours due to a brush fire (so I missed sunset, but did get to drive for about 3.5 hours and come away with nothing).

I decided to head to Mt. Rainier in the morning after 2 hours of sleep (keep in mind the previous two nights I had slept in my car, once at Ruby Beach, and again at Hurricane Ridge, with probably no more than 12 hours sleep total, and had driven about 800 miles in the process).

The forecast called for some cloud cover, but it was completely clear over the mountain so I didn't get any colorful clouds, but the snow had melted enough for the lake to show through (three weeks ago snow covered the entire lake). Should have a reflection for the next 4 months before Chinook Pass closes again due to snow, and I'll be checking the forecast and might hit this spot before work a few times. The road to Sunrise is now open too, so it's officially summer in Mt. Rainier now :wink

The highlight might have been seeing two foxes playing with each other across the lake (too far to photograph, but close enough to observe).

Here are some of my favorite shots, two at dawn, and two right at sunrise with the alpenglow on the mountain.

#1:



#2:



#3:



#4:

thapamd

Another beautiful set, Ron! Man...you sure do put some miles on your vehicle. Plus, a man after my own heart...I often sleep in my car also!

kdog

Sweet shots, Ron.

-joel

dseidman

You're nuts. I'd probably give up on photography if I had to drive 3.5 hours for nothing. It looks like it was worth the drive though. You've got some beautiful images here.

You should have gone to Tipsoo one day earlier! I was there for the morning of July 4th and as you saw in my version, there was still ice on the lake. Was the snow still frozen into solid ice when you were walking around there? I nearly killed myself trying to cross that little bridge near the parking lot.

coscorrosa

thapamd wrote:

Another beautiful set, Ron! Man...you sure do put some miles on your vehicle. Plus, a man after my own heart...I often sleep in my car also!

I had a 1995 Subaru Legacy that I drove the crap out of, and I finally killed it with my 2,500 mile sojourn to Yellowstone and Grand Teton (cost of repairs exceeded the value of the car). So it was laid to rest with about 150K of miles on the odometer (unfortunately this happened after I had an alternator replaced and bought new tires - that's usually how it goes). So I was due for an upgrade, and got a car big enough to hold all my photography crap and that I could actually fold the seats down and sleep in comfortably (sleeping in the Legacy was not at all comfortable!). I had to test it out this weekend, and it worked pretty well, and is a good quick/cheap way to do sunset/sunrise combos (in summer) or sunrise/sunset combos (in winter).

coscorrosa

dseidman wrote:

You're nuts. I'd probably give up on photography if I had to drive 3.5 hours for nothing. It looks like it was worth the drive though. You've got some beautiful images here.

You should have gone to Tipsoo one day earlier! I was there for the morning of July 4th and as you saw in my version, there was still ice on the lake. Was the snow still frozen into solid ice when you were walking around there? I nearly killed myself trying to cross that little bridge near the parking lot.

Looking at your photos again, I think you were at Lower Tipsoo Lake (adjacent to the Tipsoo Lake parking lot) while I was at Upper Tipsoo Lake (across the highway opposite the parking lot). So it's very possible there's still ice on your lake. I might be switching the upper and lower, I forget which is which. There was a lot of packed snow and it was really slick in spots, but it doesn't sound as treacherous as your journey.

I was there late last year and had ice, but the mountain was covered in clouds:

dlplumer

Do you spend more time in a sleeping bag than you do at home?

coscorrosa

dlplumer wrote:

Do you spend more time in a sleeping bag than you do at home?

That's the plan this summer, at least on the weekends

dseidman

coscorrosa wrote:

Looking at your photos again, I think you were at Lower Tipsoo Lake (adjacent to the Tipsoo Lake parking lot) while I was at Upper Tipsoo Lake (across the highway opposite the parking lot). So it's very possible there's still ice on your lake. I might be switching the upper and lower, I forget which is which. There was a lot of packed snow and it was really slick in spots, but it doesn't sound as treacherous as your journey.

I was there late last year and had ice, but the mountain was covered in clouds:

I just looked it up and you're right. I didn't realize there was another lake on the other side of the highway. It looks like you get a more direct view from there.

schmoo

coscorrosa wrote:

(so I missed sunset, but did get to drive for about 3.5 hours and come away with nothing).

Don't know what Dgrin would do without your sense of humor!

True dedication, going with so little sleep for photos! I don't get tired of seeing mountains from your perspective.

bryanj87

Great photos Ron. Your dedication is insane, you make Art Wolfe look like a wuss. What kind of vehicle did you get that can hold all your photo gear and let you sleep comfortably in? (I ask 'cuz I'm in the market)

coscorrosa

schmoo wrote:

Don't know what Dgrin would do without your sense of humor!

True dedication, going with so little sleep for photos! I don't get tired of seeing mountains from your perspective.

Thanks schmoo! This was the first time I had been up to Rainier at sunrise for 6 months, so I was eager to check it out, should have wildflowers in about a month or so and I'm planning on taking a week off to actually do the place justice.

coscorrosa

bryanj87 wrote:

Great photos Ron. Your dedication is insane, you make Art Wolfe look like a wuss. What kind of vehicle did you get that can hold all your photo gear and let you sleep comfortably in? (I ask 'cuz I'm in the market)

I think you're close, it's not dedication, it's insanity

I got a 2009 Toyota RAV4 V6. I love it. Some of that is because it's a good vehicle, and some of it is because the car I drove before was 15 years older and I got a giant upgrade in terms of features.

hawkeye978

Great series, I applaud your dedication (but not the drive times). I just can't stop staring at #3 and #4.

HDShooter

Nice Ron! But to much driving for me!
Rather do it on the motorcycle.



You know I LOVE that location.
http://peot.smugmug.com/photos/371410011_5eurk-L-2.jpg