Mount Rainier - Color Collection #1
This is the first of three collections of my color photographs from the Mount Rainier National Park region. Mount Rainier is a 14,410-foot tall, heavily glaciated active volcano that quickly rises high above the surrounding landscape. This dramatic change in elevation provides easy access to a range of diverse ecosystems. At lower elevations, thick forests are dotted with deciduous trees including alders and maples, with towering Douglas fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock creating the canopy high above. Mushrooms, lichen, mosses, and lush ground cover plants add to the botanical diversity and photographic opportunities here, with vibrant splashes of color in autumn. In between the glaciated alpine peak and these lower elevation forests, expansive fields of wildflowers expand across the landscape during the summer.
At the higher elevations, autumn is a subtle affair in one sense: the mountain ash and huckleberry hug the ground, at least when compared to the much taller coniferous trees that dominate the subalpine forests. In another sense, these bushes are among the boldest characters on the mountain with their flamboyant range of magentas, purples, oranges, reds, and yellows often appearing as a mixed spectrum of color on each individual leaf, and on the mountain ash as boldly bright clumps of berries. For these reasons, Mount Rainier National Park is among my favorite places for hiking and photography. Click here to return to my portfolio homepage or the Mount Rainier collections page.
