Mt. Olympus' Jealous Wife

Day 223: Legend tells us that many years ago, Mt. Olympus had two wives. The youngest wife grew jealous of the elder wife and one day she decided she would leave. She packed a basket with roots and berries to sustain her and set out on her journey alone. For many days, she travelled south, weaving among hills and rivers, and when she reached the bottom of Puget Sound, she turned inland. By that time, she was very weary and also hungry, so she stopped to rest and eat in a place we now call Yelm. When she set out again, she was careless and left the roots of the Camas plant behind. That is why the prairies of Southwest Washington are blue with Camas in the springtime. Mt. Olympus' jealous wife continued her journey, following the great Nisqually River. When she finally found the place where she wanted to make her new home, she spread out her skirts and became Mt. Rainier.

Today, I left my home at the hem of Mt. Rainier's skirt and made my own annual pilgrimage on my bicycle through the Camas prairies inadvertently planted by the jealous wife. Camassia quamash was blooming in profusion. These plants provided a staple food for the indigenous peoples of the area, the dried root being ground to make a floury meal. Because there is a very similar white-flowered species which is poisonous, Native women would tie the leaves of the edible variety together in springtime when the plant was in flower. That way, they knew which roots to dig in the autumn.