Eagle Peak

Day 171 (Part Two): A foot or more of fresh snow fell at Longmire over the last day and a half or so, and when I went out for my lunchtime walk, it was snowing hard. The trail to Eagle Peak was unbroken, and the fresh expanse of white encouraged me to go as far as time might allow. But time was not what turned me back. I tired quickly of postholing past my knees. Since I was not wearing gaiters, my boots filled with snow and it caked on the legs of my uniform trousers. Literally retracing my steps, I reluctantly headed back to the office as the sun peeped out. Mount Rainier gathered the dark clouds close, leaving Eagle Peak to rise above the frigid Nisqually.