Story Behind the Image - Fourth of July Fireworks from Atop Mt. Rainier

This image from my archives was captured on July 4th, 2012. The location? The summit of Mt. Rainier, also known as Tahoma, at 14,411 feet. Looking north, the view overlooks the Puget Sound and downtown Seattle.

Let me tell you how this image came to be.

From 2004 to 2013, I worked as a mountain guide throughout North and South America—a job I loved. The most rewarding part of being a mountain guide was providing people with tangible mountain experiences. Mountains teach us so much about life. Every challenge faced while climbing mirrors the challenges we encounter in our daily lives. Mountains teach us how to endure discomfort, how to stay humble, how to work together as a team, and most importantly, how to connect with the land.

I stopped counting my summits of Tahoma after my 125th, but I estimate that I made around 250 attempts, including both work and personal trips.

Like this one on July 4th, 2012.

One day, while walking up the Muir snowfield on my way to Camp Muir, I wondered: could I capture an image from the summit of Tahoma at 14,410 feet on July 4th? The location would provide a perfect perch to view the fireworks over downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound, Olympic National Park, and even the North Cascades.

But could I do it? Would the weather cooperate, or would it be raining and cloudy? After all, it is Seattle!

I had to at least try. After waiting a few years for the conditions to align, I was ready to give it a shot.

My best friend, Tyler Jones, offered to climb the mountain with me. We left our home in Ashford, Washington, in the late afternoon on July 4th, aiming to reach the summit around 9:00 PM—just as darkness fell and the fireworks began.

We arrived at the top of Tahoma to very windy and unpleasant conditions. We had brought a small tent (a Black Diamond Firstlight), knowing we’d be huddled there for at least 1.5 to 2 hours while I took photos. But the winds broke the tent pole, leaving us with a limp tent. Haha!

Tyler crouched over me, holding the tent in place to shelter us from the wind.

Focusing the camera was more challenging than I expected. Even with a tripod, the strong winds shook the camera during the long exposure. (The camera settings: 15.0 seconds at F/11 and ISO 400). Eventually, I buried the tripod legs deep in the firm, sun-cupped snow to stabilize it.

Finally, I captured what I could as the fireworks began to subside in the valleys below. Tyler and I were eager to get warm, so we headed back down the mountain on our skis. Skiing in the dark, and navigating through the sun cups of the seasonal snowpack, provided horrendous skiing but sped up our descent. We arrived back at the Paradise parking lot early that morning.

After a few hours of sleep, I processed the images and was delighted to see what I had captured the previous night. I had made an image from the summit of Mt. Rainier on July 4th.

Later that afternoon, I met my next group of climbers to take back up the mountain—now with a fun story to share with them.

Please check out my Fine Art Print Shop for this image and other like it. DM me with any questions you have.

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The Story Behind The Image - Fireworks From The Top of Mt Rainier (14,410 ft)