Thanksgiving is about expressing gratitude and has its origins in the original settlers and the native Americans giving thanks for the harvest. Now it is an important national holiday where friends and families gather. For Thanksgiving 2022, we went to stay with Sandy’s sister in Washington State, USA. She lives in Ashford which is only a few miles from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.
The area has stunning landscapes and the dense trees that surround the area are tall and majestic. The surrounding forest on the approach to Mount Rainier and then from the entrance into the park is comprised of old growth trees. Including Douglas fir, hemlock, and cedar. The trees reach for the sky and block out most of light.
The sky can be seen as you drive into the park and the road weaves through the forest with occasional stopping places. During the winter months access to the park can prove difficult not only due to the changeable weather conditions but with staffing shortages preventing many roads from being properly manned. Therefore the road to Longmire was open but the gate to Paradise was shut. This was disappointing but in photography you always work with what you have and therefore I looked for other opportunities. The Nisqually River Entrance is your first stop as you encounter the rangers who let you into the park. All cars need snow chains before they are allowed to drive through the park. Before you get to Longmire there is a stop at Kautz Creek Viewpoint. This gives your first glimpse of the mountain in the park. It is a fun shot to take as you can get a good group picture and take a bit of time viewing the mountain.
Longmire is dominated by the National Park Inn that sits looking at the mountain. It was as far as we could travel but I was determined to make the most of the opportunity to be in the park. There are photographs to be taken of the mountain and the Inn. Luckily there was clear visibility of the mountain as my pictures show. The area houses the living quarters of the park rangers and if you drive to the rear of Longmire you arrive at an impressive suspension bridge crossing the Nisqually river. This hidden gem provided several good photographs.
I had brought a good photograph book called “A landscape photographer’s guide to Mount Rainier written by Anthony Jones. Unfortunately I did not get to do that many photographs as described in the book but maybe next time I will have more chances to see this beautiful National Park.
