Spray Park, Knapsack Pass

Another warm day gave V and I the opportunity to get back to some of the places that are snowy 10 months of the year. This is the beautiful area of Knapsack Pass/ Seattle Park and Spray Park on Mt. Rainier's northwest corner. We saw two bears- one was on the hillside and just as I got my tripod set up- the bear got spooked by some people and took off. The shot here was seconds before it ran. Then, another bear scared the liver out of me when it crossed the trail 20 feet in front of us! I say it scared the liver out of me, because Vil calmly said "oh, there's a bear" just as it barreled across the trail. Captain Calm strikes again. Of course, it was not aggressive, it was just getting to where it was going- the berry patch! It was a great day full of wonderful sights.


The one near the bottom is smiling as the kid snoozes peacefully. This is the natural world that I simply love- the warmth of the day, the amazing beauty here and the creatures that live in this habitat. The goats were resting less than 1/4 mile from the bears and all was peaceful in the forest. Imagine a world....

Swallowtail butterfly on lousewort

Sick of Rainier pictures, yet?

A sunny and wonderfully warm September is turning out to be the cherry on the cupcake of the Rainier picture collection!

Our big boy...

Givin' a Hoot

Yesterday morning my eyes popped wide open at 6:32 am. I was oddly rested and ready to start the drizzly and damp morning. Realizing I had forgotten a grocery store run the day before, I decided to pile into the car and head down the hill to grab some milk. The day was breaking, but it was still quite dark. Suddenly, in front of my vehicle flew a very large and odd shaped bird. I followed it with my eyes and watched it land on a tree not far off. I could make out the shape of an owl, but knew that lighting would not be sufficient to get any kind of picture. On my way home, I looked again and the owl was still there. I made a mad dash home for my camera and returned walking gingerly along in pouring rain to grab a few shots. To my wonderful surprise, it was a Great Horned Owl! He was a vision. I spent some time photographing him, then went on about my day.

Last night, I returned home, after dark, from a busy day. As I was driving near our house, the mighty bird appeared again, silhouetted in the shadows, flying silently over the hood of my car and landing in a tree not far from our home. Vil suggested that perhaps the car is scaring up rodents? Whatever it is, it's simply amazing and now, I'm "owl-fatuated".

Mt. Rainier (again)....

I went back down to Rainier for an overnighter last week. The weather at home was drizzle and 60 degrees, but I found summer in the high country with brilliant blue skies and 70s!

My walk on the moon.

"Don't you think their hands were shaking

As that rocket ship touched down?

I'm sure they shivered

When they finally touched the ground

And the giant leap so fragile

That it hardly made a sound"

"It must have been amazing

What a world they got to see

So I don't care, my foolish fear

Won't get the best of me!"

"I'm alive, I've got one shot and I'm taking it to you

I'm alive, come to realize not a moment too soon

That this is my one small step

This is my walk on the moon!"

-Great Big Sea, Walk on the Moon

My own personal walk on the moon has just been submitted to the editor for the lengthy back and forth process of editing and modification. It's been month and months of writing, phone calls, interviews, happy times, frustrating times and victories. Today, I rejoice in the happiness of the beginning of the end. Please join me in a victory shimmy!

And more milestones! Vil finished the walkway to the door yesterday- (hip, hip...Hooray)! This project was a serious work of art- like a mosaic. He carefully matched and crafted each piece to fit the others, leveled each one (they are varying thicknesses), and fashioned them to create a masterpiece. Gorgeous, right? And the sidewalk is nice too :).
And lastly, when backpacking, the goal is always to keep the trash to a minimum for packing out. Vil is the "Trash-Master" on these trips, and has figured out ways to minimize everything by compressing and zipping baggies. This is his gia-normous smile showing off the 4-days of trash between two people. Not bad right?

HODGEPODGE!

Between my hikes at Rainier and pulling weeds in the yard, the outdoors has scored me a hodgepodge of interesting pics. ACHTUNG! The following post contains pictures of reptiles that may cause goosebumps and/or nightmares for those who loathe snakes (you know who you are :).

Alligator lizard sleeping on our rocks.
Garter Snake by BBQ (harmless and beautiful).
Baby Marmot- what a precious little pup.
Ambush marmot, ready to strike.
Annoyed marmot, wishing the camera would leave
Flowers, bugs, flowers and bugs.

Pacific Crest Trail Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass

On Monday V and I returned from a 4.5 day trip through the Alpine Lakes Wilderness on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass. It's roughly 75 miles, so we put our feet to good use and huffed it up hills and into valleys. There is so much beauty in that stretch and so many great opportunities for writing- whether in another book or in my magazine contributions. The mountains are in perfect condition right now and our weather could not have been better- every day we got sunshine and cool nights which kept those pesky skeeters to a minimum.

The people you meet on the PCT are fascinating. You can almost always tell who is a through-hiker, (defined as someone who is coming from Mexico to Canada hiking the entire 2000 miles) as their packs are tiny, they smell like hot-death and they have beards to rival ZZ Top. They start in April at the Mexican border and arrive in Manning B.C.-this time of year. Usually they are flying as they pass, covering 20-30 miles a day and sometimes pushing up to 4,000+ feet of elevation gain and loss. By the time they reach Washington, the drive for the border is all that is on their minds- they've seen so much beauty that it's no longer about scenery and instead it's about "getting there". Rarely do they stop to talk, but we did manage to chat with one guy from Georgia who was friendly and seemed willing to share some of his experiences. This season the snow everywhere has been lingering from late May storms. He had to cross 450 miles of solid snow without seeing the trail in the Sierras! He also had to ford streams that were icy cold and mid-chest height. Often, these hikers start out solo and meet others to help them cross such hazards. They then play "leap frog" on the trail, often missing each other for days, then catching up and passing. When they meet you they often ask questions like "did you happen to see two guys from Denmark in front of me?" It's almost a little game to close in on their friends. Most have quit their jobs and spent months planning for these huge trips. It's fascinating and bordering on neurotic to do such a crazy feat.

Our 'little' hike in comparison was perfect- just enough to come back ready for a real meal, a real bed and a real shower. Despite a full 30 minutes of a soapy loofah scrub, I'm still wearing a dirt perma-tattoo along with bug bites on the ankles.

My mind wanders as I think back- between the little hummingbirds that pop up in flowers, the fireweed against the backdrop of burned forest, the butterflies that flirt with you as you wander and the views that make you misty- it's easy to see why people backpack. It's truly soul food.

If only we could all have a memorial like this one. Sit for a while and think of Larry.