A Crow In Its Natural Habitat

Day 326: The Reflection Lakes MeadoWatch hike ends at a waypoint not too far above the intersection of the Skyline Trail with the Paradise Glacier Trail, at a transition point between subalpine meadow and alpine barren, but I cannot turn around there, not with rocky exposures calling to me only a mere half mile further on. In the days when I had two good shoulders and young legs, my preference in backcountry campsites generally took me far off trail and into this inhospitable environment. I describe my camping choice as anywhere "high, bleak and desolate," somewhere with a broad view of the forests and meadows below with nothing above me but sky and the bulk of the Mountain. One of my favourite spots was a sandy patch just large enough for a two-man tent at 7800' on Curtis Ridge, ideal if one happened to be in the mood for watching the Perseid meteor shower in August, or later in the year, admiring the silky glow of Puget Sound at sunset with the lights of Tacoma sparkling in the foreground. In this environment, I felt secure in my solitude on Curtis Ridge; any human approaching could be seen well in advance of their arrival in my camp. At the heart of it, you must understand, I am a solitary creature. If I were younger and not quite so surgically reconstructed, I would go, perhaps not "where no one has gone before," but as close as possible in the modern world. But all things said, the fact that I've been partially rebuilt limits me now to the day hikes which never succeed in taking me beyond the possibility of human contact. Still, it is those high, rocky places which draw me into going the extra distance for whatever moments of personal time I can share exclusively with my Mountain.