Getting out of the car at Sunrise Lodge, with the view across the valley to Rainier in all its glory is one of those awe inspiring moments that define what is to be really alive. And then you see the trails up through the meadows to the ridge on the other side, and you know, if you are a photographer of any kind, that you have to get up there. It is not a bad climb, even for my 65 year old lungs and knees. I just go slow. and it was everything I imagined it to be.

This is a two shot panorama, handheld and stitched in PhotoMerge in PhotoShop Elements. To do it justice you need to click on it to see it full width in the lightbox.

Canon SX50HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. Two 24mm equivalent field of view shots. f4.5 @ 1/1000th @ ISO 100. Stitched as above. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.