Snowshoe Tracks, Cowlitz Rocks, Mount Rainier National Park, 1992.

Cowlitz Rocks lie at the high point of the crest dividing Paradise and Cowlitz Glaciers on the southeast flank of Mount Rainier. Rising to a modest elevation of 7607 feet, reached by a hideous scree slope, the rocks are not a frequent objective of hikers or climbers. But in winter, when Paradise is blanketed by a fresh dusting of snow, this overlooked summit is spectacular. I happened to come on the perfect day: a fresh crust of snow glistening like diamonds in the sunlight, a fierce blue sky above a sea of clouds stretching out to the horizon, and no one else within sight all day exect a solitary telemark skier wending down the slope from Anvil Rock in delicate turns all the way to Paradise Glacier. Such days in the mountains are rare.