I have spent a lot of time on Mt. Rainier and I can tell you she is a mountain with more tricks up her sleeve than a bad magician at a 10-year-old's birthday party.
At 14,410 feet, Rainier is a magnet for nasty weather heading toward Washington off the Pacific. A cloud-cap over the summit generally is an indicator that a storm is coming. These "lenticular" clouds signal that day-hikers should head toward the lodge for a burger and a beer. Summit climbers, too high to retreat, would be wise to check that their tents are well-anchored, that their seat belts are fastened, and their seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position. Life is about to get interesting.
Several years ago I was snowshoeing at about the 5,000-foot level on Rainier when an amazing lenticular cloud formed over the summit. The winds up high were apparently so strong that the cloud blew completely off to the side of the mountain and hovered there like an alien spacecraft. This happened right about the time of sunset, so that the cloud took on an other-worldly glow.
The prudent course of action--the burger and beer retreat--was not my choice. I set up my tripod and camera and set to work photographing the light show. If aliens were going to land on Rainier, I wanted to be there to see it.
