Rhizocarpon Geographicum, Map Lichen

Day 354: Hikers in the subalpine and alpine areas of Mount Rainier National Park may have passed by rocks populated by bright yellow-green patches of Rhizocarpon geographicum without ever giving them a second glance, or dismissing them from mind as "some kind of weird green stuff," perhaps not even knowing that they were observing a lichen, specifically a Map Lichen.

Rhizocarpon is a crustose lichen, which is to say it forms a crusty covering closely attached to the substrate material. This particular species is quite noticeable because of its striking hue, but other crustose lichens may be coloured to resemble the rocks on which they grow, i.e., grey with dot-like black or brown apothecia (fruiting bodies). Unlike the larger lichens, they are not a particularly valuable food source for animals, nor do they provide nesting material for birds, but they do make a vital contribution to the ecology in that they help break rock down into soil. It just goes to show that even that "weird green stuff" plays an important role in Nature!

Pinnacle Peak Trail

Day 353: The trail to Pinnacle Peak saddle isn't long (only 1.3 miles), but it gains about 1200' in elevation, approximately half of that on terrain similar to what you see here in this photo. The more ambitious hiker can continue on to Pinnacle's summit, a class 3 scramble I've done half a dozen times, but now consider foolhardy given my age. My late husband always refused to attempt it, and would stay at the saddle watching with trepidation as I spider-walked my way up what from his vantage point looked like a vertical pitch. Up was never an issue with me, but down was sometimes worrisome. On one notable occasion, he was joined by another Park visitor, a woman whose concern for my well-being inspired her to ask Bruce, "Is she NUTS?" Bruce assured her that yes, I was definitely certifiable.

Today, however, I contented myself with going up and over the saddle and out as far as I could follow a fading social trail to the west. The day was beautifully serene until on my return, I sat down behind a roll of terrain to have my lunch. I'd only been there fifteen minutes or so when a pair of loud-mouthed young women shattered the perfect silence with a conversation better suited to social media than to the backcountry. I think (and this grieves me terribly) that the possibility of solitude in the Park is now beyond the reach of my aging legs and hips. There was a time, though, when I could imagine that I shared the whole 235,000 acres with nothing but the wildlife. For a few minutes today, I recaptured that feeling as a raven spoke his secrets to me and uttered a call to adventure which, sadly, I could not answer, "Lead, and I will follow you."

View From Plummer Peak

Makeup Day 8: When I left home this morning, I promised my friends that I would not climb Pinnacle Peak, and I'm good for my word. I did not climb Pinnacle Peak, although I've done so at least half a dozen times. I climbed Plummer instead. It's not quite as high, nor is it as steep, although you don't want to trip while you're walking the hogback.

So, to put things in reference here, that's Pinnacle in the middle. The route to the top goes up just below the ridgeline facing the camera until it gets beyond the trees. Then it turns left and gets serious. When you reach the top of the light grey section, you'll find yourself at a dihedral, and the holds are just a little too widely spaced for someone as small as I am, particularly on the descent. My husband never went up with me. He sat at the bottom and agreed with people that yes, I was crazy. I never climbed Castle, the next peak to the right, nor have I climbed Unicorn which is beyond it. Today was my first ascent of Plummer, and a nice way to shake out the kinks from my last hike. That was something else Bruce never understood: the need to take another hike to loosen up stiff muscles.

As adventures go, this was pretty tame. I only got stuck between a rock and a tree once, and I came down with my all skin intact. I gave Lane and Chutla a brief moment of consideration, but today...well, today was just for Plummer.