Magnificent Morning Mountains Move Me

Mt. Rainier

Every morning as I drive to work, if the weather is clear enough, I see Mt. Rainier rising into the blooming sunrise. Behind me, the Olympic Mountains rise up to meet the morning sun.

This time of year is perfect. I never tire of seeing mountains, and the timing is just right to thrill to the vision of monumental Mt. Rainier in the morning. The air is clean from late winter rain, and the morning sun glows pink and orange and violet against layers of clouds, resting like blankets above the mountain.

Why does a single mountain make my heart sing? I feel dwarfed – but also somehow made larger – every time I see Mt. Rainier emerge from behind ranks of evergreen-clad foothills.

After a full day of work, I see the Olympic Mountains grow larger as I near home. Snowy-white jagged peaks and ridges are accentuated by spires of black basalt peeking through. In the early afternoon, the slopes are brightly lit. In the early evening, the Olympics are lighted from behind.

Perhaps it is the warmly colored sunlight at sunrise and sunset that brings forth such a feeling of calm, a feeling of being blessed. Driving into the light, with spectacular focal points that cannot help but draw the eye, makes me feel incredibly lucky to be alive, in this place, at this moment in time.

I never tire of the view.