Some days in the mountains are blessed by the soothing rays of the summer sun, and endless vistas stretch on into the distant horizon. Other days are drenched in a soothing blanket of fog that obscures the landscape so that mystery drips from every dew jeweled wildflower. We may not have seen sparkling Lake Cushman, the wide expanse of Puget Sound and its gleaming metropolis, or the lofty summit of Mt. Olympus, but the experience of exploring the alpine forests and flower gardens of Mt. Elinor was a sublime experience nonetheless.
The day started out with sun and the false promise of clear skies to come as the clouds appeared to clear. Flying my drone from the trailhead I found a fascinating vista over a sea of clouds that blanketed Lake Cushman and Puget Sound. The Olympics rearing up from the mist to tower over the foggy valleys, their summits shrouded in what would be herald of the day to come.
Wildflowers graced the trail, with pearly everlasting and fireweed blooming at low elevations, and species changing as we gained elevation to include an especially spectacular native species of thistle. The meadows were spectacular despite the waning of the peak flower season.
The trail shoots up like a rocket ship through the mist drenched forest, the path a rugged tumble of roots, boulders, and scree. Fortunately the trail has been engineered to an impressive degree, with stairs bolted into rocks and stabilizing scree slopes.
We kept expecting to break out of the fog, but the clouds only gathered closer about the mountain slopes. Finally we reached the summit, but the clouds remained resolute - blue sky tantalizing close overhead. We waited there napping, reading, and snacking for the mist to lift, but despite occasional tantalizing glimpses of Mt. Washington we never did get to enjoy the sweeping views we had anticipated. However, no amount of swirling mist can disguise the beauty of an alpine paradise.
On the way down the woods were eerily quiet and still - mist wrapped close around the watching forest all about us. Every spiders web was a constellation of dew drops, and they decorated this deep and shadowed realm like jellyfish made of tattered lace.
A day in the mountains is never a day wasted, and even the most inclement weather offers its own unique beauty.
