Part 3: the hike
Continuing a journey through Washington State.
From my deep slumber I awoke, startled, by some noise. It was nearly light outside the tent as dawn seemed to come very early out there. My breath a faint cloud in the cool mountain air. I was warm and unwilling to sacrifice the comfort of my sleeping bag. My attempts to go back to sleep were futile, so began the process of getting dressed in my small tent, which I considered a workout.
I made coffee and took a short walk around part of Mowich Lake, camera in tow, as always. The water, so clear and calm, reflected perfect mirror images of the surrounding landscape. Small pockets of snow in shady areas still remained scattered through the trees and rocks, somehow cold to the touch even after a heatwave weeks prior.
A simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast after my walk provided some sustenance for the trek i was about to begin. Before things took a turn and Kyle had to go home to Arkansas, he shared a map of a trail he had hiked around there before. I was hesitant to hike alone, but I was willing to try.
After a delay trying to figure out how to carry the massive camera lens i had rented, I headed out on the trail. It began with an ascent of hundreds of feet right off the bat. I struggled to keep my camera secure around my neck with this behemoth of a lens attached to it. I made it about a mile up the trail, near the edge of the alpine line. Clouds began rolling in and i recalled my campground neighbor telling me how difficult it was to see the trail in the clouds when you’re above the tree line. Already being uncertain of hiking alone and concern about my rented lens, i regretfully let my worry takeover and i turned back and headed to the campground.
While i did turn back, i wasn’t about to quit completely. The trail i was on, was a loop back to the campground. My plan was to go around the other way around and pray that the clouds lifted. To my dismay, the clouds held their position, blocking any nice view from lookout points along the trail. My frustration mounted, as a sharp pain grew in my knee. A running injury from 2020 that never really healed, threatened to halt me in my tracks. But i was determined to at least make it to Spray Falls, an incredible 350 foot waterfall .
Hobbling along the trail, my trekking poles were soon serving me more like crutches. I arrived at Spray Falls and was stunned by the scale of this tower of cascading water and rock. I nearly fell backwards trying to look up to the top. I wish I could have stayed there all day.
Despite, the clouds and my pain, i soaked up every bit of scenery that i could. The clouds, the rocks, the snow, and the pines, layered with a texture of irony. Those elements made up the whole of what i came for, a closer view of the majestic peak of Mt. Rainier, however they found themselves as the subject of my lens for their individual qualities as components of a larger work of art. The rough texture and varying gray hues of the rock, the strong evergreen color of the pines, the stark white of the clouds and snow, all painted a picture that few perhaps seek to find beyond the overall view of the mountain.
Although the trail defeated me, I will return to someday and finish what I set out to accomplish that day.
