In the Shadow of the Mountain: Moonlit Nights and Marmot Fights

My second week meadow roving at Paradise, Mount Rainier has come to an end and wow. So many great things were experienced!

Wednesday evening was the full moon, and I was invited by several other park employees to go on a moonlight hike. Like I was going to say no to that! At around 11pm we hiked up to Bench and Snow Lakes southeast of Paradise where we spent the next several hours gawking at the fully illuminated volcano in front of us, and the backlit Tatoosh Range behind us.

Mount Rainier illuminated by moonlight. Photo by Micah K. 

Tatoosh backlit by the blazing moon. Photo by Micah K. 

Throughout the week I have been hanging around my usual spot at the Edith Creek bridge on top of Myrtle Falls, nesting in the hillside directly above the bridge are a pair of Hoary Marmots I have named Mr. and Mrs. Myrtle. This week I had a very fun time observing them courting and boxing with each other, I guess every couple has their squabbles.

"Mr. Myrtle" on the Skyline Trail. Photo by Micah K. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Myrtle" having a boxing match. Photo by Micah K. 

In the Shadow of the Mountain: Explosions of Color.

It's the middle of July, and that means that at 6,000 feet, exciting things are happening at Mount Rainier. The Marmots are running around in the meadows, the ground squirrels and chipmunks are beginning to gather food and nesting materials, and probably most exciting of all, the wildflowers are preparing for peak bloom here in just a couple short weeks.

A skittish Hoary Marmot along the Wonderland Trail at Sunrise. Photo by Micah K. 

The past two weeks at Rainier I have seen such a dazzling array of wildflowers that it staggers the imagination. Even as a geology student, wandering through the trail and observing the various flora is just awesome. Couple this with the fun aspects of wildlife activity, and it makes for quite a treat. The other day at Sunrise I saw a chipmunk climb over ten feet into a tree and then hang upside down to sip at the dew gathering on the end of a Subalpine Fir branch.

An acrobatic Chipmunk. Photo by Micah K. 

And let's not forget the wildflowers.

Heather and Scarlet Paintbrush. Photo by Micah K. 

Oh my gosh the wildflowers.....

Beargrass in bloom, individual plants only bloom every seven years! Photo by Micah K.

Things are coming to life here at Mount Rainier, and I can't wait to see what else is right around the corner.

In the Shadow of a Volcano: Meadow Roving 2016.

Once again, it's been a while. Been up to my eyeballs in schoolwork, family get-togethers, and back to back adventures across the Western United States. But the rest of the summer is looking to be awesome. Why? Because I get to spend it here: 

Edith Creek and Mount Rainier, Paradise. Photo from Wikipedia. 

That's right! I am now an official Meadow Rove Volunteer in Mount Rainier National Park for the entire summer of 2016 and potentially into the future beyond as well!

What the heck does that mean? Well it means that I get to camp in the park for free, and every day I get up, Put on my NPS volunteer uniform, and proceed to hike around the subalpine meadows of Paradise and Sunrise all day; answering questions, teaching people about the park, and maybe most importantly, protecting the sensitive meadows from getting trampled by curious visitors who may not know what damage they are causing.

I will be volunteering in the park from now until August 30 every week from Monday through Thursday, bouncing back and forth between Paradise and Sunrise every week. I just finished my first week at Paradise, and I am looking forward to my first week at Sunrise as well!

If you are planning to visit the park, I am not sure where I will be at Sunrise yet, but at Paradise you can probably find me around Myrtle Falls, Edith Creek, and the Golden Gate Trail. Basically if you're within eyeshot of one of Edith Creek's waterfalls, you're going to be within eyeshot of me (Surprised? you really shouldn't be).

Here's to a wonderful summer of wandering around on Washington's tallest fire mountain!