Rainier Wildflowers Nearing End of the Season

The wildflowers on Mt. Rainier during 2005 have bloomed later in the season compared to normal. This late bloom however has not in any way degraded the beauty of the flowers. The weather and bright beautiful flowers have made hiking and photography a pleasure in the park these past days. The wildflower season is nearing its end now. Every effort should me made to make a trip out to Mt. Rainier and the Ashford Valley to view these magnificent flowers.

Below are images of flowers by the Van Trump Park area. For more information on how to get there stop in the Summit Haus for specific directions.

Mt. St. Helens - 1960 and 2005

Featured below are images taken from Bear Pass of Mt. St. Helens in 1960 and 2005. The 45-year span in time shows the dramatic changes after the May 18th eruption in 1980. As seen in the photos below, the scared landscape is slowly regenerating itself as life returns to the area around the blast.










These photos are courtesy of friends of the Summit Haus.

Denali Trip Reports & Rainier Weather

Whittaker Mountaineering employee Joe Blattner has recently posted his May 2005 Denali trip report. This report includes the daily activities of their expedition, as well as a couple pictures taken on the mountain. Their climb successfully summitted on May 22nd and flew off the mountain a couple days later. Click Here to read Joe’s daily dispatches.

These past days have brought in harsh weather on both the upper and lower slopes of Mt. Rainier. The fronts that had moved in created high winds, cold temperatures, and new snow. Forecasts for upcoming weather conditions show much better weather moving in with clearer skies. The freezing level, which as stayed particularly low this season, is predicted to rise to around 14,000 feet by this weekend. That indicates weather on the mountain may have ideal climbing condition in the very near future.