Mount Rainier from Plummer Peak. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives)

As weather-watchers know, it’s supposed to get hot this weekend in Western Washington. As in the 90s. For people wanting to beat the heat, there usually are two options: head for the water or head into the mountains.

If the latter sounds like your thing, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better place than Mount Rainier National Park, home of our state’s tallest peak at well over 14,000 feet above sea level. And if you need any persuading, just take a look at these two photos of The Mountain that are found in our State Digital Archives.

The top photo, taken in sometime between 1950 and 1980, shows Rainier and its reflection in a small tarn on the side of Plummer Peak, near Pinnacle Park on the south side of the park.

The bottom photo, taken in 1967, shows a hiker enjoying an awesome view of Rainier from Burroughs Mountain, a few miles west of Sunrise. Those who venture to Sunrise will not only enjoy a stunning view of The Mountain from the northeast, they’ll also enjoy hiking that starts at a cooler elevation of 6,000 feet.

Both photos are part of the Digital Archives’ State Library Photograph Collection, 1851-1990.

If you go hiking on or near Rainier or anywhere else in the coming days, make sure to bring water and wear sunscreen, especially if you won’t be in shade!

Mount Rainier from Burroughs Mountain.