top of page

A Summer of Mountains and Watercolors – Hiking Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier

Writer's picture: modernmelioramodernmeliora

This summer, I embarked on two of the most life-changing adventures of my life, exploring the majestic landscapes of Washington’s Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. These two iconic landmarks of the Pacific Northwest have always loomed in the distance, but this year, I got up close and personal with them.


Hiking Mt. Baker: An Artists' Trip

I hiked Mt. Baker with my artist friend, Jodi, in August as our plein air painting trip together. It was a retreat that I didn't know I needed until we woke up at 4 am to catch the sunrise above Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker. The view was so breathtaking that I was super inspired to paint these mountains in my sketchbook. I tried to capture the beauty around me as I took out my travel watercolor sketchbook and sat on a ridge to paint. I tried a different art style, using ink to quickly sketch out details of the places I saw on my 7 mile hike, and then using watercolor to bring out nature's colors. I didn't realize it back then but this art style would soon be the style I adopt for my future travel art in my sketchbook. I call it my "collage" style because of how I am able to capture memories of my adventures in different boxes to paint a bigger picture of my experience.





Mt. Rainier: A PNW Icon

Mt. Rainier, on the other hand, was a different kind of experience—intense, dramatic, and breathtaking. The first time I saw Mt. Rainier up close was when my husband and I were in the car traveling up a windy road to hike Naches Trail in Rainier. This was back in Oct 2023, my first full year living in Washington, and I've only seen Rainier from the highway on a clear day. As we were driving up the mountain I saw in the corner of my eye a white mass peeking through behind the evergreen trees. As I turned my head I saw Mt. Rainier up close and I kid you not, I felt a heart pounding sensation. Maybe I'm exaggerating it but if love at first sight felt like this then this was the moment I fell in love with Rainier. Our first hike in Mt. Rainier was incredible but it wasn't until our third hike this fall around Skyline Trail that made me appreciate Mt. Rainier's beauty so much more.


A few weeks ago we hiked Mt. Rainier again, this time with my in-laws visiting. The weather was absolutely perfect and there were barely any clouds obstructing our view.

Standing at its base, looking up at its massive, snow-capped summit, I felt like I was standing at the doorway to another world. The folliage had already turned colors with reds, oranges, and yellow hues painting the land. It was just an amazing sight and we even saw some bears on the side of the mountain. They looked like little black dots to me until a photographer pointed out that they were bears. I took a lot of pictures and videos on my phone so when we got home I got right to painting these landscapes.





Life-Changing Perspectives

This summer wasn’t just about physical exploration; it was an internal journey as well. The time I spent hiking these mountains and painting their splendor changed my perspective. It reminded me of how vast and beautiful the world is, and how important it is to slow down and truly take it all in. Art has always been a way for me to connect with the world around me, but this experience deepened that connection. It allowed me to translate these monumental moments into something tangible—something that I can look back on in my sketchbook and remember exactly how I felt at that time.

Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier now live not just in my memory, but also in the watercolor pages of my travel sketchbook. Each time I open it, I’m transported back to those wild, expansive places where nature and art collided in a way that forever changed me.


Capturing the Pacific Northwest in Watercolor

There’s something magical about painting the Pacific Northwest, especially its towering landmarks like Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier. Watercolor as a medium is fluid, unpredictable—much like nature itself. I loved using this medium because it is not only portable and easy to bring with me but the effects of watercolor are hard to mimic with other opaque mediums. You never quite know how the colors will blend or how a wash will dry, but when it works, it’s like capturing a perfect moment in time.


This summer taught me that life, like watercolor, is full of beautiful unpredictability. Hiking these monumental trails and painting these breathtaking views gave me a deeper appreciation for the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and for my ability to interpret it through art. I can’t wait to continue exploring both the world around me and my own creative potential as I venture into the next season.


If you ever have the chance to hike Mt. Baker or Mt. Rainier, take it. If you can, bring a sketchbook with you—you never what inspiration may come from it.


Until next time, stay colorful.


Truc-Quan

Comments


bottom of page