If you travel to the State of Washington, you will notice two things right away. First, the license plates on most of the cars feature a picture of a mountain in the background … and this has been true since at least the 1980s. Second, on clear days the mountain that inspired the license plate is visible from literally just about any place in the northern or central part of the state. The Mountain is called Rainier. We visited Rainier in July 2012, and were impressed with the vistas, the glaciers, and the wildlife that we saw while spending the day there.
According to the National Parks Service, Rainier rises 14,410 feet above sea level. We could see it from the Port of Seattle when we started to approach it until we were long past it and starting to get close to Yakima, a distance of about 120 miles from one city to the other. The mountain is covered with snow year round, and dominates the skyline with both power and majesty, It is no wonder that Rainier was accorded its status as the fifth US National Park in 1899. The first time I heard about the beauty of the mountain was when I read the book, "Ball Four" as a child. A baseball pitcher who played in Seattle wrote about having the disappointment of giving up a home run alleviated by the fact that he could stare and admire Rainier while looking out the back of the ballpark. As a child who grew up and spent much recreational time in the mountains, seeing the vistas of Rainier was something I had always wanted to observe in person, so the vacation was the fulfillment of a small childhood dream. To see the beauty and solidity of this hunk of rock, snow and lava helps one imagine how much more beautiful and solid is the God who created it!
Upon closer inspection of the top of Rainier, one of its most noticeable features is the glaciers. A glacier starts as a field of deep snow in the upper part of the mountain's flank. As the snow deepens, it's bottom layers start to harden under the weight of the fresher layers of snow, and gravity slowly pulls this hard, icy snowpack downwards. As it moves downward, it takes any trees, rock, or topsoil in its path down with it, carving out a trench or valley in the mountain. As it descends to lower altitudes, the ice begins to melt, giving birth to a river of cold, fresh water that continues its way down the mountain, continuing to carve out the valley until it reaches a relative plain. After that, it begins a slower, lazier path in search of ever lower altitudes until it eventually drains into a lake or ocean. During periods of heavy snowfall and/or colder temperatures, the glacier is said to "advance" as the ice and snow remain dense further down the mountain than usual. During periods of drought and/or warmer temperatures, the glacier is said to "retreat" as the liquid river begins to be seen at higher altitudes. No less than six rivers find their genesis in the glaciers of Rainier.
While at Rainier, we reflected on another amazing characteristic of our planet - how well animals have been created and have adapted themselves to living in places that are difficult for humans to inhabit. The park service station at "Paradise," which is the highest point to which one can drive on a road, describes the abundance of wildlife in the park, including much larger animals such as moose, elk, bears, cougars, and wolves. While driving back down on the park road, we saw two animals none of us had ever seen up close before. One was a marmot, a small furry creature reminiscent of a large squirrel. The marmot was trying to get a drink of water from an impromptu waterfall next to the road. The other was a red fox, which was out for a little trot and seemed to even be looking for a handout from us. We don't see marmots in Michigan, and foxes are usually far too wild to allow for a close-up picture. My daughters were at least as impressed by seeing the wildlife up close as I was by seeing the geology from afar.
Rainier is an active volcano. According to Wikipedia, it was designated one of 16 "Decade Volcanoes" in the world because of its potential for catastrophe. It is an active volcano, one with potentially more explosive power and ability to damage than it's "sister" volcano to the south, Mt. St. Helen's, which erupted spectacularly in 1980. It is beautiful but not safe. It is solid, but not everlasting. Perhaps one day it will erupt, and inspire a renewed sense of awe in tragedy and destruction. I hope I do not live to see that day, any more than I hope that the State of Washington would change the background for its license plates.
Upper elevation of glacier
A valley carved by a Rainier glacier.
Mt. St. Helens in foreground, Rainier in background.