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Since today is supposed to be the last 80 degree day this year in western Washington, I’ve headed to Mt. Rainier, the crown jewel of the Cascade Range. Though it’s a long drive, it’s worth it to savor one more experience of being thoroughly warm. Warmth and Quiet—those are my goals. Mountains have long been places of spiritual renewal and settings for introspection. I know that being able to look out over a landscape from above often births a new outlook on my own life.

This mountain takes up a lot of space—its wide base sprawls about 25 miles, and it pushes up into the sky nearly three miles. The tallest peak in the Cascades, Mt. Rainier’s bold presence demands awe and respect. Tahoma. That’s what the native Yakima people called it. That feels more fitting than the name of some British admiral who never even saw it. Captain Cook on his grand 18th century tour of these parts left us with many such ill-fitting names. Still, no matter what you call it, this mountain is a force that requires attention.

This is a geologically active volcano as proven by ongoing geothermal activity. The last eruption was about 150 years ago, and it’s likely to erupt again. These signs placed prominently all around it attest to the reality of this peak’s vitality. Mt. Rainier is the next-door neighbor to Mt. St. Helens, which famously erupted in 1980. That explosion lopped the top off that mountain and sent ash around the world. I heard the eruption from my home on the Oregon coast, over 100 miles away, and within days my garden was also covered in a layer of ash.

Today, however, I can only think about the present, the glorious parade of autumn tones that deepens as I climb upward. At lower elevations, fall often eases in—gilding a few alders, then turning some big leaf maples partly gold. Liquid ambers join in with shades of tangerine, then finally adding richer hues. But here at the timberline, Mt. Rainier announces fall with typical brashness. At midday it glows as if drawn with bright crayons by a frenetic child. In the alpine meadows autumn is brazen and scarlet and vivid and orange. Rivers of rich colors flow down the glacial paths like freshly erupted molten lava. On this day, the heat from this new fire is palpable.

The afternoon light electrifies vine maples, and drifts of Indian paintbrushes still offer their bright persimmon palette, while wild asters add a purple counterpoint. Down the steep canyons these fires stream, into the aptly named Paradise Valley, where black bears gorge on bright red mountain ash berries. Only the early snows at this height can quench these blazing fires. For now, it’s a dazzling display that enthralls.

CONTEMPLATIONS

• Is there some area of your life where you can be more bold?
• Do you need to be brazen?
• Is there some dormant passion you want to ignite this autumn?
• Or is there some place you need to climb?

Though living near water dominates my life, I always revel in my trips to the mountains. The air here, so rich with ions, seems to produce more clarity of thought. And oh the fragrance! Fir cones are thick on the ground and they bake in this heat, then open to release their sweet, pitchy scent. Combined with the roar of the wind rushing down the canyon, it’s all intoxicating. All my senses are fully engaged in being here amid this magnificent spectacle.

I’d like to roll around in one of these alpine meadows and let the sun push me into the warm fleshy body of Mother Earth.

However, as this is a National Park, we humans are required to remain on the trails and leave the meadows to the marmots, bears and steller’s jays. I can imagine it though…won’t you join me?

GUIDED MEDITATION

Turn your back to the sun and let it warm you, let it infuse your whole body with heat and a renewed passion for life. Now lie down on the earth and begin to turn toward the valley below. Smile as you sense the wild camas tickle your skin as you roll by it on your way down this gentle slope. Laugh as you bounce and bump along the ground, through a riot of wildflowers and amber leaves. Feel yourself becoming flower-scented and orange. Now feel the thick chartreuse moss beneath your back as you come to a stop near the newly born Paradise River. Inch toward it and plunge your face into it, then drink from the purest water on earth—high altitude, fresh snowmelt—full of iron from the riverbed, clear, cold and dancing with life force. Lap at the water like a thirsty animal and be refreshed.

Peering into this young river, see your face, and then your soul against the blue-blue-blue sky. Feel your heart rise up to meet it.

The ground is cooler near the water, and you burrow your face in the greenness of it. Inhale the earthy smells, the animated scent of rich, life-giving soil. Poke your fingers gently into it and hang on as you focus on the sensation of spinning on this planet around the sun. You can really feel it if you try. The breeze is that movement, that whirling, ever whirling around our own axis and around our solar center. Turn over onto your back and swallow as much of the blue expanse of sky as you can—let the clean air scour out your lungs and revitalize you. Pull down the blueness and wrap within it your autumn dreams. Revel in this perfect moment, this heightened awareness of being vividly alive right here, right now on this magnificent mountain.

As you stare up at the sky, you notice a few puffy clouds slowly drift into view. How are they shaped? Do they carry a message or some symbol you need to understand? Ask the clouds what they have to teach you. Listen with your eyes and heart rather than your mind that doubts such possibilities.

When you feel complete with your visit to Paradise Valley, sit up and perhaps journal about your experience.

DOWNLOADABLE AFFIRMATION CARD

OFFERING

Spread some passion around! The illustration from this post is available as a package of 8 postcards from Cafe Press.

If you’d like to peek at Mt. Rainier, visit this webcam located at Paradise.

Perhaps you like to visit Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains here.

Click on any of the following links for more information:

What Is Meditation?
How To Meditate in 5 Easy Steps
Setting the Mood
Benefits of Meditation
Expanding Your Current Meditation Practice
Why I Meditate and How It Affects Me