SEATTLE — According to new measurements, Mount Rainier could have a new summit. “I went up there on August 28 the first time and I measured Columbia Crest and the southwest rim and I found that Columbia Crest has melted about 22 feet since the last ground survey in 1998 and it’s actually shorter than the southwest rim now," Eric Gilbertson said.

The mountain has gotten roughly 10 feet shorter over time, down from 14,410 feet, according to scientist and mountaineer Eric Gilbertson. He recently took measurements indicating that the southwest side of Rainier’s crater rim is the new apex at 14,399.6 feet.

Eric Gilbertson, a mountaineer and mechanical engineer, summited Rainier in August and September, taking measurements along the way to confirm the change. He’s collecting a series of data points across the Cascades, and the general conclusion is that Washington’s perpetually ice-capped mountains are shrinking.

With snow-capped peaks soaring up into the striking blue skies and panoramic valleys that spread out for miles beneath you, there

"Mt Rainier is the tallest peak in Washington, the most topographically prominent peak in the contiguous US, and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous US," Gilbertson wrote in a blog post.

New measurements suggest that Mount Rainier, Washington’s tallest peak, has shrunk. The reason? Melting ice, likely caused by climate change. The mountain has gotten roughly 10 feet shorter over time,