During my attempt to circle Mt. Rainier, I took some pretty pictures of the mountain, but this one gives you a better idea of what Rainier looks like — from the northeast — during the autumn.

(You can see one of the pretty pictures here.)

There weren't many animals out, but I did see a mountain goat, comfortably sunning itself and ignoring the hikers.

While hiking, I came upon a group that included some climbers who had climbed some of the fifty highest summits in the fifty states.  Listening to them made me think of a geography question, which I asked them.  They got it right, I got it wrong, reversing the top two states.

Here's the question:  Which state has the highest low point?  None of the coastal states, obviously, since all of them have sea level as a low point.  (And California has Death Valley, parts of which are below sea level.)

Cross posted at Jim Miller on Politics.

(Wait till next year.  I once worked out that I had cross country skied on Mt. Rainier in every month except October.  I was hoping to get up there this October, but it looks like I won't make it.  The snow has started, but there is less of it than I like, and the driving conditions during the last few days have been just so-so.)