Day 335: I had other plans for extending my MeadoWatch hike yesterday, so instead of continuing on to the end of the maintained portion of the Paradise Glacier Trail half a mile further on, I took my lunch beside this small, persistent alpine tarn. I don't recall having ever seen it dry, even in a drought year. It would be a good "bathtub" but for two factors: the trail runs right beside it and the bottom is covered with grapefruit-sized rocks. Still, it makes a good destination, just a little ways above my last MeadoWatch waypoint. That said, now that Labor Day is past, I had it all to myself for the half hour I spent there.
MeadoWatch is winding down as the plants are now mostly in the seed-releasing phase of growth. I hope to do one more hike on the Naches Loop, but I am quite keenly aware that I am at the mercy of the Weather Gods, and they are not always kind. However, September hiking always brings rewards: the fall colours are starting, the wildlife is active preparing for winter, crisp mornings and cooler afternoons are perfect for the exertion demanded by the Mountain's trails. In the course of my travels yesterday, I encountered a family of four grouse, one bear, one young marmot whose tail I nearly stepped on, and one former Park superintendent with his mate and cub. As he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, Randy King said he'd been hoping to find me on Eatonville's Bud Blancher trail. He showed me a photo. "I bet you know what this plant is, Crow!" I didn't, but I looked it up when I got home. Next time our paths cross, I'll deliver the information. It's a slower world in the Mountain's realm, my kind of place.
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