Cloud Layers

Day 7: You have to understand that although I live on the hem of Mount Rainier's skirts, these views are not a daily occurrence. In fact, we sometimes go weeks without getting the barest glimpse of the Mountain because it attracts weather systems. Lenticulars are usually a pretty good sign that there's some active weather on the way. They can exhibit a wide variety of forms: stacks of pancakes, chains of "flying saucers" lined up off to one side, tidy cap clouds or, as today, a fancy "hat" complete with feathers to complement the lacy gown of snow newly dressing the upper slopes. If you look just above the horizon of dark hills, you'll see a ruff of cumulus and, checking the webcam as I write, if you were at Paradise, it occludes the Mountain completely. The "meat" in the cloud sandwich shown above is only the thousand feet or so between Camp Muir and Gibraltar Rock. Elsewhere, you'd be in white-out, wondering why you thought today would be a good day for a hike/climb.