Please note - there is NO guaranteed cell phone reception at this cache site. Know the requirements for this earthcache before arriving.
Important things to know to avoid log deletion:
- if your answers will be sent at a later time, state when I will receive them in your found log.
- required photo must be personalized in some way so that I know you were truly there.
If I delete your found log due to lack of following instructions, you can re-log your find when you are able to comply.
This entrance to Mount Rainier National Park is generally open from about mid-June to mid-September. There is an entrance fee, good for 7 days, for each vehicle entering the entire park unless you have a special pass such as an annual pass or a Golden Eagle Pass. Information about these passes can be obtained at the entry points to the park. Please park only in designated parking spots and do not leave the trails/sidewalks during your explorations.
This earthcache requires you to hike down to Sunrise Lake and then back up again. There is a good path to follow. See description and waypoints below. If you are not willing to take the hike, please remove this one from your "to-do" list. The terrain rating reflects the fact that you have to hike.
Important things before you start:
- this earthcache will only be available approximately mid-June through mid-September. If you want this earthcache, plan you trip with those dates in mind and check that it is open before going.
- the stated coordinates are approximate - you will be going to the edge of Sunrise Lake, and that changes during the season. Simply find the easiest access to the edge of the lake when you are visiting to get the answers for the questions.
- you may be hiking in snow during the early part of the summer; bring appropriate footwear such as boots.
- please stay on the trail to protect the fragile subalpine environment.
What are kettles/potholes?
Kettles/kettle holes/potholes are bodies of water typically formed by retreating glaciers or glacial ice sheets. Blocks of stagnant ice calve from the terminus of the glacier and become wholly or partially buried in glacial outwash as the glacier retreats. The blocks of ice eventually melt, leaving behind depressions in the glacial sediment/outwash, and are referred to as kettles or potholes.
Kettles may also be left behind by high volume glacial outbursts or jökulhlaups, if they are massive enough in volume to carry with them chunks of the glacier from which they emerge.
What is the size of a kettle? Most kettles do not exceed 1.5 miles in diameter and the typical depth is less than 35 feet, although there are exceptions for both diameter and depth. In most cases, water fills the depression and forms a pond or lake. Over time, some kettle holes fill with sediment and/or vegetation to form wetlands.
Kettles rarely have outlets, so water dissipates due to evaporation and seepage to the water table, resulting in water levels that fluctuate throughout the seasons of the year.
Types of kettles
If the kettle is fed by surface or underground rivers, streams, or springs, it is a kettle lake. If it receives its water solely from rain and/or groundwater, it is a kettle pond. If it receives its water from rain and/or groundwater, and is vegetated, it is a kettle wetland. If there is no groundwater table, they may become dry during the warm summer months and are considered to be ephemeral kettles. (Ephemeral def: something that lasts a very short time; is short-lived or transitory.)
Wetlands
When sediment accumulates in shallow kettles, they become wetlands or swamps or bogs or mires or marshes or peatlands, etc., and may fill with trees and other vegetation. There are many wetland terms, and their definitions are related to pH, salinity, drainage, plant growth and other factors worthy of further study if you are interested.
Kettle Color related to Depth The deeper the kettle, the bluer or darker the surface appears. The blue color is due to both reflection and refraction. Variations in the blue tone are related to changes in depth, which alters the amount of refraction - the amount of red, orange, yellow and green wavelengths of light being absorbed. The color of kettles may also indicate the amount of sediment in suspension. Shallow kettles are often less clear in appearance, and may have a brown tone due to suspended sediment or a green tone due to algae and other organisms growing in them.
Kettle Temperatures
Surface temperatures vary greatly throughout the year. At times the surface will be frozen. During the summer, the top few feet may be warm due to sunshine and the ambient air temperature. If the kettle is deep, the temperature below 3 or 4 feet remains fairly constant year round.
To get credit for this earthcache, You MUST take the trail down to the lakeside. Then send your answers to the following questions, using the earthcache text combined with your observations, to me, the cache owner. Log your find immediately - do not wait for my response. I will contact you promptly with approval or let you know if I need additional information from you. I may also send additional information to you if appropriate. If answers are not received in a timely manner, found logs will be deleted. Cut and paste the following into your response with the answers, preferably through the message center. (My responses to you will be sent through the message center.)
You may cut and paste the following questions, and add your answers:
The Pot(hole) Calls the Kettle Deep requirements and questions:
Requirement 1 - In your log, state that you walked the trail to the lake.
Requirement 2 - Post a photo of yourself on the edge of the lake.
Question 1 - Estimate the diameter of Sunrise Lake at the time of your visit.
Question 2 - Do you believe Sunrise Lake is a kettle lake or kettle pond? Give your reasoning for your answer.
Question 3 - What do you see where water and land meet at the edge of Sunrise Lake at the time of your visit - rocks? soil? plant growth? other things?
Question 4 - Do you think this is a deep or a shallow kettle? Give your reasoning for your answer.
Source: Essentials of Geology, Lutgens, Tarbuck, Tasa