He decided to fly around Mt. Ranier and then decided to head over to the Cascades to take in the beauty and "have a moment of serenity". ATC had no control, but

He decided to fly around Mt. Ranier and then decided to head over to the Cascades to take in the beauty and "have a moment of serenity". ATC had no control, but tried to keep him within radio distance by telling him to turn away from the cascades. The full ~1hr of ATC audio supports this.