mt harrison | december 2015

I left the lot at 6:10 AM so walked in amazing moonlight most of the way. The inversion fog is visible in the distance behind the cell tower light. It is 7:30 AM.

I fear I'll miss my photo chances if I say on the road, so I trudge up to the ridgeline through the trees.

Cache Peak in the distance as I gain the ridge. That's not the Harrison summit on the right, but the lookout is in that direction (west).

Turning to the east, I wonder how much longer I'll need to wait. It's now about 7:45 AM.

Cache and Harrison warm in the alpenglow.

The nearly full moon was my companion almost all morning.

Ever lighter, I wonder just how far removed from the horizon the sun might be.

The moon sets as the sun rises and there are more colors than I can count.

Moonset on Mt. Harrison

I pull together a panorama of the snowscape and setting moon.

The north summit of Harrison through the trees. Lake Cleveland is between me and the radio towers over there.

I've dipped down into the trees (a mistake, I think). The tips of the trees catch the first morning rays.

But I think the glowing trees would be better seen from the sunward (east) side. Oh, well...

The tips of the trees catch the first rays of the new day.

Looking back towards the east and my tracks, the trees begin to glow from behind.

The last of the trees and I head up to the ridgeline. I'm still in the shadow and the sun hasn't broken over the horizon here.

But there it is.

Near the ridgeline, the lookout and privy come into view. Almost there, now.

The lookout and viewpoint just to the right of it.

The extreme weather does interesting things up here.

Strange, frozen snow on the ground up here. When I left the parking lot it was 7 degrees. But amazingly, only a breeze blowing up here on top.

Back to the east. The inversion fog is laying low in the Snake River valley.

The Elba/Almo valley and highway below.

I just missed seeing the shadow of Harrison across the valley. The Snake River is a smudge on the valley floor.

The fair city of Oakley. In the moonlight earlier, I'd seen the lights of Burley which oddly reminded me of seeing the lights of Portland from Mt. Hood.

Just about time to go. All my food and water is frozen.

Burley is down there in the haze.

A last look down into the valley to the south.

Mt. Harrison Snowshoe Trail

A fine morning to make tracks.