Mount Rainier National Park

Towsend's Chipmunk

Stuffed Cheeks

We saw this chipmunk with its cheeks stuffed full of food on the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail in the Channpecosh section of the park. I had hoped it would turn around so we could get a full look at its face, but another group of hikers started to approach and the chipmunk bolted for the deeper forest.

Townsend's chipmunk on a log along the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

Low Light in the Forest

The heavy forest canopy was not letting much light through in the late afternoon. This chipmunk was sitting on some old rotting logs, one of a number of fallen trees along the Wonderland Trail.

Steller's Jay

Catch Me If You Can

I found this beauty near the National Park Inn where we stayed. I was mesmerized by the bird and forgot to check my shutter speed, so I didn't realize how little of the afternoon light was filtering through this grove of trees. I was using fill flash to help illuminate the bird's vibrant blue feathers, but the shutter speed was low enough that you can see a bit of head movement in the bill and feathers. I rather like the effect, the catchlight in the eye is still sharp from the short flash duration, and the rest of the bird was sharp thanks to the image stabilization in the lens.

Part of the reason that I like the slight head movement is that I've had a hard time photographing these jays in the wild, they seem to move just out of camera reach before I can get their pictures. So to me, the movement adds a playfulness to the image that won't be there for most viewers, as if the bird is saying "Catch me if you can ..."

The Mountain

A view of Mount Rainier from the National Park Inn at Mount Rainier National Park

Mt. Rainier late in the day. A bank of clouds rolled in shortly after and ruined an attempt at a sunset shot of the mountain. I didn't have to hike back far after the sun set — the picture was taken in front of the National Park Inn where we were staying, I had stepped outside to enjoy the scenery after dinner.

A view of Mount Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier as seen from the Nisqually Trail at Mount Rainier National Park

Mt. Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier

A view of the mountain and the Nisqually glacier (on the right side of the picture) taken from the Nisqually Trail near the park headquarters.

Half Mast

On this morning all but the tallest peaks were shrouded in fog. The American flag was flying at half mast out of respect for President Reagan, who had recently passed away after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.

	Stuffed Cheeks We saw this chipmunk with its cheeks stuffed full of food on the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail in the Channpecosh section of the park. I had hoped it would turn around so we could get a full look at its face, but another group of hikers started to approach and the chipmunk bolted for the deeper forest.
	Low Light in the Forest The heavy forest canopy was not letting much light through in the late afternoon. This chipmunk was sitting on some old rotting logs, one of a number of fallen trees along the Wonderland Trail.

	Mt. Rainier late in the day. A bank of clouds rolled in shortly after and ruined an attempt at a sunset shot of the mountain. I didn't have to hike back far after the sun set — the picture was taken in front of the National Park Inn where we were staying, I had stepped outside to enjoy the scenery after dinner.
	Mt. Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier A view of the mountain and the Nisqually glacier (on the right side of the picture) taken from the Nisqually Trail near the park headquarters.