Mount Rainier, named after
Rear Admiral Peter Rainier by Captain George Vancouver in 1792, stands
above all in the Cascades. Here's the 14,411' volcanic pride of Washington...
The mountain has many faces. Here's
the view from the summit of Mount Adams.
On 15 February 1997, an altocumulus
standing lenticular cloud formed near Mount Rainier and lasted through
the afternoon and sunset. This cloud is formed as moisture is lifted by
the mountain in stable layers of the atmosphere. The moisture cools as
it rises and condenses into spectacular clouds.
Occasionally, when the sun rises
behind Mount Rainier and clouds are on the west side of the Cascades, an
inverted shadow is cast on the base of the clouds.