It is rare to find a roadside hotspring deserted, relaxing in steaming pools along a crystaline creek we surmised that the unexpected solitude might have something to do with the not-so-distant rumbles of thunder. Formidable looking black walls of roiling cloud are inexplicably off putting to most casual wilderness bathers.
It wasn’t the incoming storm that drove us to leave, no, it was the promise of seeing the sunset over the sawtooth mountains that hurried us on our way. In driving rain we plowed through the fury and drama that had so interrupted the endless blue sky days of an Idaho summer. Skeins of branching lighting lept across the turbulent arch of the sky, illuminating drenched meadows and embattled mountain peaks - the thunder juddering through the frame of the van like the inconsistent beat of some cosmic drum.
As we descended from the pass the storm subsided, and drifting shreds of mist and verga veiled, revealed, then veiled once more the sharp turrets of the Sawtooths. We were thankful for the soaking deluge at the Redfish Lake campground - so many cancelled reservations are a boon to opportunistic travelers!
In the midst of consuming our instant mashed potatoes, a red glow began to suffuse the previously purple tinged grey blanket of retreating storm clouds. Racing to the lake shore we arrived in time to witness a warped and curdled cloudscape bubbling in fantastic waves above the leaden waters of the lake. These crazy Mammatus cloud formations were lit a vivid range of colors by the setting sun, already obscured by the rugged heights of the Sawtooth mountains. The glory lasted only a handful of minutes before the light vanished and the cloud formations collapsed into formlessness. The best sunsets are so often the briefest, and reward those willing to brave the gnarliest conditions.
This post was written in one hour for the first #NatureWritingChallenge.
_____________________________________________________________________
Here are links to few of the other articles written for the challenge:
"Watching a Sunset at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area" by Douglas Scott (founder of the challenge) on the Outdoor Society: http://outdoor-society.com/watching-a-sunset-at-bighorn-canyon-national-recreation-area/
"A Quest to see the Sunset in Bryce Canyon National Park" by Mike on Adventure Ranger: https://adventureranger6.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/a-quest-to-see-the-sunset-at-bryce-canyon-national-park/
