Twilight, Tipsoo

Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

 

One of my best-selling prints (maybe the most sold; my recordkeeping sucks) was a shot from a few years ago at this location with a full moon setting over the mountain at sunrise www.flickr.com/photos/geoffschmid/3776932414/.

 

Though I've been here so many times I've never been able to get a truly dramatic sky. It's a pass, after all, which seems to spell clear or socked in, no middle ground; the weather forecasts are very "iffy" at best. However, it's got to be one of the best spots to get a great reflection of the mountain, and if you time it right for the few times a year it happens, the moon will appear at sunset or sunrise, which will hedge your bets if faced with a cloudless sky (yes, the moon is real as evidenced by its small scale rendered by my wide angle focal length).

 

This year may be unique in that winter has not released its grip even in early August. I made a special trip here to grab this shot after snowshoeing the Naches Loop trail last week (yes, snowshoeing in July!). By the time you see it, the snow will be gone and avalanche lilies will be blooming (more than a month later than usual).

 

I arrived just before sunset and the mountain was, typically, obscured by clouds (just the mountain, of course). The clouds parted and blew away to a cloudless sky just after sunset. Suffice to say, the window was narrow.

 

Anyway, the serenity of the scene always appeals and though I'm reluctant to shoot an overexposed location, this spot always does my soul good.

 

I never post any comments this long-winded, don't know what came over me... sorry about it!

 

I hope you enjoy the image.

 

Awards: Juried into the Audubon Society of Greater Denver's Share the View 2012 competition collection.

Done