This weekend was a great example of why I enjoy living in Seattle so much: variety. On Friday night we went to the theatre and saw a great play. On Saturday we hiked to what is surely one of the most dramatic day-hikeable alpine vistas in the country and made it back to the city in time for dinner at an excellent restaurant. And on Sunday we had a fantastic brunch with friends, bought a ton of fresh local food at the farmers market, and enjoyed an afternoon picnic (feast, really) while lounging on the beach.
The hike was the most memorable detail of the weekend (and the only thing I have pictures of). It's a 9-mile, 2000' vertical climb that's only moderately strenuous in Mount Rainier National Park. The trail traverses the three summits of Burroughs Mountain, which is an eroded remnant of an old lava flow. The goal of the hike was Third Burroughs, the highest of the three peaks (7800') and the one that's connected to the main body of Rainier by a high, spiny ridge.
As you'll see in the pictures, the view was spectacular: glaciers, deep tree-lined valleys, high-alpine steppe, and ice-covered Rainier. Topography like this tends to create spectacular weather also. While we were eating lunch, fast-moving clouds arrived and the view thereafter alternated between grand and socked-in, usually within the span a few seconds. Ah, mountains!
We're now well into our third summer living in Seattle - time has really flown. Weekends like this are why we have few regrets about moving here.
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