Chinook Pass opens Friday, May 22 at noon.

Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, Chinook Pass will open Friday, May 22 at 12:00.
Providing some of the best views of Mt. Rainier from the east side of the mountain, it's a sure sign that summer is on the way here in the park! One of my most popular images was made on Chinook pass, but don't expect to see the ground up there for a long time yet, there is still almost 13 feet of snow!!!!

For Chinook Pass telemetry click here.

Adam

Images at International Mountain Guides, Mt. Rainier.

Now that I am tweeting on twitter, I have a feeling my blogspot bloggins are going to get shorter. If I would have said that 10 years ago, you would have thought I was crazy.

Just a quick update here. On your way to The Mountain, stop by International Mountain Guides headquarters in Ashford to check out some of my photos.

Adam

Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan Interview

Ken Burns, The National Parks, and America's Best Idea.

Last night over 2000 Washingtonians and I had the privilege of attending a presentation at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.  The presentation, hosted by KCTS 9, was an splendid evening with Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan who discussed and presented clips from their upcoming epic documentary The National Parks, America's Best Idea.  I knew that Burns made wonderful films, but after listening to him speak and gaining a smidgeon of insight on his world view, I am further impressed.  Ken is truly a visionary, not just in the media of film, but in humanity, and as he said last night, these documentaries are ultimately about us.  He confessed that he has been telling the same story about us over and over again, just with different packaging.

I must tell you that I left the presentation last night profoundly re-energized about the magnitude and importance of our National Park System.  I will certainly carry this with me this summer as we explore Mt. Rainier National Park photographing its wonders.

The documentary is 12 hours long and airs this fall on your local public television station.  The series will be available in High Definition (As Ken said, "5 times better") and is available on DVD and Blu-ray.  From the 6 short excerpts that were shown last night, I plan to add this series to my collection.  You can pre-order The National Parks, America's Best Idea from channel9store.com and save 25% with this promotional code: NPBURNS.  The offer is good until 9-15-09 and cannot be combined with other offers.

You can also hear a "Weekday" interview with Ken Burns here.

See you on The Mountain this summer.

Adam

Mt Rainier Gallery in Morton?

A Mt. Rainier Gallery in Morton?  Well, not yet.  However, stay tuned......

When Shanna opened 2nd Street Yoga Studio 5 years ago, we acquired the old hardware store in historic downtown Morton, and converted half of it into her yoga space.  The other half was occupied by a "Teen Center."  Shortly thereafter, the teen center moved to another building and after sitting vacant for about six months I decided that it was time to give Adam Angel Photography a storefront.  The studio has since served as a multi-use space where we've done product and portrait photography, digital photography workshops, offered fine-art printing services, and even hosted an internationally known musician....  I am happy to announce that this is only the beginning.  In addition to evolving the space into the base for the Mt. Rainier Institute of Photography, I have recently begun work on a new part of the downtown property.  Part of the property is the corner of Main Street and 2nd street.  Locals know it as the only flashing light in town......  The corner building was originally built as the Morton State Bank in 1920.  Subsequently, a fire swept through downtown and the building had to be rebuilt in 1924.  I have begun extensive demolition of the years and years of poor construction, tasteless renovations, and otherwise crap, that has filled the old bank building.  We've have uncovered the old interior walls of the vault unseen for 85 years, discovered the tile mosaic floor, and otherwise found the old bones of the building....  We are still in the demolition phase, but already the building looks incredibly promising.

For years I've been amazed that our beautiful area, so close the entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Goat Rocks Wilderness, and so many other incredible areas has not served as a hub for recreational activities in the region.  Any other "city center" near such an amazing national park has flourished by now, and yet we keep defying the odds.  One part of that is the absence of a world class Mt. Rainier Photography Gallery...............  So stay tuned.  My plan is to work on this project over time "out of pocket" to bring this space into the 21st century as part of the region's revitalization and gentrification.  These times are challenging for the whole country, and it is during times like these that we dig deeply, get back to our core intents, and put our noses to the grindstone.  As our economy slows down and our "rate of growth' finds a more sustainable rate, this is an opportunity to step back, re-evaluate our priorities, and begin our comeback.

New Mt Rainier Newsletter

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Rainier Independent Film Festival 2009

From RainierFilmFest.com, for June 12-14, 2009.

The Rainier Independent Film Festival is dedicated to providing true Independent Filmmakers a venue to have their films screened in the tranquil area surrounding Mount Rainier.

Mixing films, workshops and the laid-back setting of the area, this festival is set apart in the fact that it is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with film industry people outside of the hustle and bustle typically associated with the business.

Located in the shadow of Mount Rainier, the Ashford Valley provides the perfect setting for this festival. Our screening venues range from an authentic circular Yurt, an elementary school built in the 1920's with capacity of 400, to an intimate setting in the prestigious Nisqually Lodge. All projection is shown in the latest in digital technology.

Because of the unique location and our understanding that limited funds (if any!) are available to Independent Filmmakers, complimentary lodging will be provided by RIFF to the selected filmmakers in attendance.In addition,

• We will be offering awards such as post-production services and PR - with more as they become locked in.
• We will have a media center for our workshops, seminars and for the filmmakers to promote their projects and mingle with the public (the filmmaker lounge will still be onsite with complimentary drinks!)
• Finally, as always, because of the unique location and our understanding that limited funds (if any!) are available to Independent Filmmakers, complimentary lodging will be provided by RIFF to the selected filmmakers in attendance.

Stay tuned as we create and add to our schedule.

All the Best,
Win Whittaker, RIFF Festival Director

Calculating Sunrise and Sunset for Photographers.

This morning the sun hit my face a little earlier than usual.  Yes, it's because of the fantastic weather we are having here in the Pacific Northwest, but as we all know the days are getting longer already.  This means getting up earlier and earlier to shoot sunrises.... ouch!  A couple of online tools that I use on a regular basis to calculate Astronomical, Nautical, and Civil Twilight, as well as sunrise, sunset and phases of the moon are here.

www.sunrisesunset.com and www.cmpsolv.com/los/sunset.html.

The beginning of civil twilight is when the "color" starts to happen, so I usually arrive at my shooting location during nautical twilight and shoot until sunrise.  Play this scenario in reverse in the evenings. An insiders tip for Mt. Rainier is that because of the huge vertical relief Rainier has in relation to the most of the state, expect the sun to hit the summit 10-15 minutes before official sunrise.  Have fun playing with those online tools and be there when the "show" happens.  I hope to see you on the mountain.

Adam

Climate Friendly Parks.

The two day Climate Friendly Parks workshop held at the Community Center in Mt. Rainier National Park was a huge success. As a member of the public and a business partner with the park, I am very excited to be part of what will certainly be one of the premier models for green operations in the Pacific Northwest!  The details of the two day event are extensive, so I will spare you the details here.  I would, however, like to direct you to a couple of resources listed below.  I also might be able to help steer you to the right park personnel to answer your questions as they arise.

The first web based resource is the "Do Your Part" website of Climate Friendly Parks and the National Parks Conservation Association.  You can visit it at www.doyourpartparks.org. Climate Friendly Parks is the first interactive online program in the country that provides national park visitors and supporters with the tools to understand and reduce their carbon footprints and thereby help to protect our national parks from global warming. Do Your Part! is sponsored by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in support of the National Park Service’s Climate Friendly Parks program.

Do Your Part!’s interactive mapping feature lets you explore park goals and the progress park stakeholders are making towards those goals. Its carbon calculator provides the tools you need to understand your current carbon footprint and then set goals to reduce your impact. Its tracking tool displays progress in real time towards park and related group goals.

The other online resource for more general and comprehensive information is www.nps.gov/climatefriendlyparks.

Thank you for showing interest in Climate Friendly Parks, and I hope to see you on Mt. Rainier.

Adam

Climate Friendly Parks Workshop, Mt. Rainier National Park

On behalf of the Institute I will be attending the Climate Friendly Parks (CFP) Program this week at Mt. Rainier.  The CFP is a collaboration of the National Park Service and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, to provide national parks with management tools and resources to address climate change. The program aims to provide national parks with comprehensive support to address climate change both within park boundaries and the surrounding community.

The goals of the workshop will be:

•To educate park employees and park partners about climate change/global warming and the
role each can take in addressing the problem.
•To empower every park employee and park partner to serve as communicator—helping the
public understand global warming/climate change, how the park is dealing with it, and the difference that each person can make.
•To provide a framework and ongoing support for actions to communicate both internally and externally about progress and challenges of becoming a Climate Friendly Park.
•To develop a Park Climate Action Plan with concrete emission reduction goals.

If you have any questions about concessioners and CUA holders in Mt Rainier National Park and the CFP, please feel free to contact me.

Adam Angel