Day 27 - 8/11/2004 - Under the Milky Way...

Wow - dry tents again!!! Today was the day to go up to the mountain.  After a quick breakfast and some discussion, we decided to go to Sunrise (northeastern side of the park) for a hike.  We drove down to Packwood, got some groceries, and headed up.  On the road, we got our first good daylight glimpses of the mountain.  Even after seeing Yellowstone, the Tetons, and Glacier, there is nothing we have seen that compares with the sheer size of Rainier.  It stands out, almost awkwardly against the smaller surrounding peaks.  This seems to be a common trait in the cascades - Mt. Adams to the south stands out just as starkly.

The road to Sunrise winds up the side of a mountain with great views and several pulloffs.  Probably the best pulloff is at Sunrise point, where there is a parking lot, numerous trails, and no bathroom (more on this later.)  

Once we pulled into Sunrise, we checked the weather and scouted out some hiking trails.  It looked like one of the most scenic was the Fremont trail, which leads to an old firetower on top of Fremont Mountain (close to Rainier).  We packed up water, snacks, and moleskin, and off we went.  Many of the pictures below are from the hike to the firetower.  We stopped for lunch at the tower, and soon a group of hikers in their 50's came up behind us.  One of them had been a ranger in the fire tower before it was decommissioned.  She would spend a week at a time up there - rain, snow, or shine.  We finished up lunch and started back down.

On the way, we passed the trail junction to Burroughs Mountain.  Burroughs is a large tundra-like set of hills that are right below Rainier.  You climb up to the first peak, across a ridge, and then up to the second summit. We decided to add a little more mileage to the hike and go to the top.  At the top of Burroughs, the whole of the northern side of Rainier opens up before you.  You can see all of the Glaciers, and follow them down the valley and down the White River.  During a lahar event (collapse of a glacier and the ensuing landside and flood) this would be the place to be.  Burroughs also offers a wonderful view of Camp Shurman, an alternate base camp for climbing Rainier.  Hunter was in heaven with this view of his glorious mountain.

By the time we climbed off of Burroughs and hiked back to Sunrise, it was 6:30pm.  Hunter and I knew the Perseid meteor shower was supposed to be at the peak that night, so we planned to drive back to camp, get some dinner, and head back up to Sunrise point after dark.  On the drive down the mountain, I spotted a pickup truck full of people in the parking lot of Sunrise point.  On a lark, I pulled in to see if they were setting up for the meteor shower.  They were, and told us that the parking lot generally fills up early for these types of events.  We had everything we needed in the car, so Hunter and decided to go ahead and set up to overnight for the meteor shower.

Over the course of the next few hours there was a steady parade of cars pulling into the lot.  Small cars, Winnebagos, vans - you name it they were trying to find a parking spot.  By now I was glad we had run into "The Meteor Gang" (Jlo, Sue, Hutch, and Kathy).  Jlo, Sue, and Hutch had been there year before last and seen the fiasco of folks trying to find a parking place in the dark.  Hunter and I pulled our chairs up to the back of their pickup, and chatted into the evening as the sky began to grow dark.

 Just after dark, the first few streaks began to cross the sky.  It always seemed like you were looking in the wrong direction when you heard someone gasp, "OOOO, there's one".  As the night progressed, more and more meteors appeared all over the sky - almost impossible to miss.  While the bulk of them were small and quick, there was the occasional brilliant streak that left a tail that remained visible for several seconds.  One especially bright one after midnight left a tail that was visible for almost 30 seconds!  The running joke was that everyone in the parking lot was hoping for some "tail".  I wish I had been able to take some pictures, but it was just too dark for my camera.  By midnight, Hunter was beginning to crash, and climbed into the front seat of the van for some sleep.  I stretched out on the tailgate of the pickup in a effort to save my neck (Jlo - my neck sincerely thanks you!)  For the remainder of the night we all laid there watching the sky and pointing out where we had seen one.  One amazing, unexpected discovery is the number of satellites in the sky.  As we sat there looking for the next streak, someone would point out a slow (compared to meteors) moving light.  We saw 8-10 satellites during the night.

The show continued through the night until dawn.  The parking lot had taken on the feeling of a mini Woodstock, with everyone there bonded by one common purpose - meteors.  As with Woodstock there was the underlying issue of "facilities", and there was a steady stream of flashlights wandering off into the night down a nearby trail.  The camaraderie of the evening created a bond as people shared hiking, camping, and stargazing experiences.  As dawn broke over the mountain and surrounding valleys, the skyward streaks gave way to a soft, glowing gold that slowly cascaded down Rainier.  Hunter and I had seen the sunrise from Paradise last year, but now I understood why this is call Sunrise.  It was truly a magnificent.

We bid a gracious farewell to our new friends, and cruised back to the campsite.  After a few hours of catchup sleep, we broke down camp and got on the road again.  Best of luck to Hutch, Sue, Jlo, and Kathy (Jlo - I hope you travels to Ecuador go well!)