ABC--X--always problematical

I am bypassing my UK trip photos for this letter, as the perfect example showed itself the other day.

How did this come about up there in the forest treetop? Here are the ground level views of the trees involved.

 


















The root systems of evergreens are very shallow, and often depend on intertangling with other trees in the vicinity for stability to support their bulk. Despite the extent to which the tree on the right is uprooted, its crown still appears healthy. I wonder how long that will be, and how long the tree has leaned as it is now.

When ABC Wednesday reaches the letter X, I always think of two things. X brings out the creativity in all of the participants--it will be interesting to see what is posted. And another round wil l start soon--shall I continue? Probably so--I have been hooked since round two and have not missed a week except this summer while traveling--and I made those letters up.

Beaver Pond

Trail of the Shadows, Longmire, Mt. Rainier National Park

Weekend Reflections--sponsored by James at Newtown Daily Photo.

Sunday's Psalm--31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

I will extol you, O my God and King,


and I will bless your name forever and ever.


Every day will I bless you,


and I will praise your name forever and ever.




 I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is good to all

and compassionate toward all his works.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might.

 I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is faithful in all his words

and holy in all his works.

The LORD lifts up all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

from Psalm 145

photos are all from Yosemite National Park

Working--Shadows of the Past

 Last month we attended a workshop in historic interpretation. (I haven't mentioned it because it was where we were the weekend our house was robbed and it kind of faded into the inventory lists for a while.)

Our presenter, (whose name eludes me because it was in the files on my stolen computer) was a consummate actress, storyteller, historian, teacher, seamstress in combination. She did a shortened version for us of her presentation of four women of Pacific Northwest history which was fascination.

Historical interpreters might dress and act in a presentation as a character, or they might go about the day in the life of a person of a time period in a living history museum. (Colonial Williamsburg is an example of that.) They might also simply explain events or styles or daily life of the past.

 Mt. Rainier National Park has presented an annual evening program Shadows of the Past where guests are guided along the Trail of the Shadows in the historic Longmire area of the park and encounter characters from the area's history as they step out of the forest to tell their story. We had the surprise of gathering outside after lunch and seeing James Longmire (as played by one of the workshop attendees) step out of the forest for a visit.

returning for the evening reflection

 When the light was sweet, we found our way to the ideal spot for viewing Half Dome. It is a bridge whose name I disremember. Perhaps Martha will tell us.

James hosts Weekend Reflections at Newtown Daily Photo. I have found that reflection images are amazingly satisfying and sometimes tricky to catch. See what others have found at his site.

It's Blog Action Day 2010

Blog Action Day 2010 is focusing on water.

Access to clean water is a serious international issue. Bloggers all over the world are blogging about water today. To see what they are saying, visit Blog Action Day's real time stream of blog posts.

An American Icon

viewed from the west

Half Dome may be one of the most photographed sights in America. What happened to the other half? Geologists say that there never was another half--that this is the whole thing, though other dome shaped peaks in Yosemite are "whole". My mother climbed Half Dome--not something that I could ever have imagined of her. Maybe that hike was the cause of her later fear of heights.

You can see that the skies over Yosemite when we visited last month were clear and blue. You can also see hundreds of skies from around the world at SkyWatch.

viewed from the east

Hadrian's Wall

Back in the year 122, the Emperor Hadrian traveled to the limits of the Empire to check things out. Rather than try to expand further, he decided that it would be wise to consolidate and strengthen the existing expanse of Roman territory. Visiting Roman England, he ordered that a wall be built--to keep the barbarian Picts from crossing into the Empire and making mischief.

You see, there was trouble from the Scots even then. My Scots husband had no trouble going down the steep hill on this portion of the wall trail. Myself, I was scooting down one stepping stone at a time on my seat.

The wall stretched from the Irish Sea on the west to the North Sea on the east--about 73 modern miles. From Carlisle to Newcastle--from the River Solway to the River Tyne--portions of the wall are still intact and the route of the wall makes up the popular trail.

It was eight to ten feet wide and 15 feet high. In a few portions of the path, you actually walk ON the wall, not just beside it.

It was not just a wall. Small forts called milecastles were built into it every Roman mile. There were gates opening to the north (not everyone on that side was feared.)

And several large forts were built as well.

the ruins of Houseteads--one of the larger forts

Since the Hadrian's Wall Path shares itself with sheep pasture, there are some means of keeping them in place. These gates do not assume that everyone will remember to close the gate behind them. And in some places, instead of a gate, there is a stile.

We hiked along just a few miles of Hadrian's Wall. We would like to go back to walk more of the wall and see the ruins of the Roman town of Vindolanda, where civilian artifacts have recently been found, including typical letters home.

ABC Wednesday---Z

Coming to the end of another alphabet--Z is always a little more difficult than some of the other letters. I must thank Dina from Jerusalem Daily Photo, whose Zones of Silence post suggested the idea of some other zones to me, the ecological zones of Mt. Rainier National Park.

We start at the lower elevations, with the Forest Zone, where abundant rainfall and melting snowpack from above provide for a lush dense growth of a wide variety of green plants.


Hiking through the old growth forest on a warm day is a cooling experience. Ferns, fungus, mosses, lichens, and a variety of cool weather wildflowers carpet the ground. Nurse logs provide a new base for new saplings.

Critters in the forest include some you might be squeamish about.

So, now lets go up to a higher elevation--the Sub-Alpine Zone. Once the snow melts, the lush meadows are home to a rainbow of wildflowers, starting with these Avalanche Lilies and their companion yellow Glacier Lilies, the first to pop through the snow.

Further up the slope we reach the Alpine Zone--conditions so severe that the few trees are only a few feet tall after a hundred year's growth. The soil is thin and rocky.

The area is similar to Arctic tundra. Growing season is so very short...

So, as you see, are the plants. The variety of lupine that grows in this area has leaves that measure--yes, those are centimeter marks, not inches, on the walking stick. Lupine leaves in the sub-Alpine zone measure three to four inches across.

In the rocky reaches of the Alpine Zone, we saw dozens of pika the other day.


So thank you again, Dina, for suggesting that Z is for Zones. Thank you to Denise for another successful round of ABC Wednesday. Thank you to the team for keeping us going. You will find the other ABC-Z entries listed here.

On Top of My World

My fortune cookie last week said I would be on top of the world.

I felt that I was when I took this picture near the Fremont Lookout.

Some others were closer to the top and had been even closer.





Do you see them?



















How about now?

Approximately ten thousand people a year attempt the summit of 14,410 foot Mt. Rainier.

About half of them make it. the others turn back becasue of weather (not an issue this past weekend when these were taken), altitude sickness, or fatigue. Many go with guide services. Others do the climb with friends. Many do it more than once. It requires proper equipment, training in climbing skills, and determination.

For those forced to turn back because of weather or other dangerous conditions, it may be a disappointment, but the mountain will be there another day. We saw a helicopter airlift an injured climber off the mountain yesterday. He was injured on the way down, so after a successful summit.

And that's the story from the top of my world, where among other things, we shoveled some snow this weekend and marked trails to make them safer for those of us whose top of the world looks more like the first picture.

My World Tuesday can be found here.

Fourth of July Weekend Reflection

The flag reflected in the windows of the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center, flying at half mast in recognition of the death of Senator Robert Bird earlier this week.

This weekend we celebrate the 234th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our nation's birthday. Keep in mind those principles of freedom and respect for the lives of its citizens on which our nation was founded, and be sure to celebrate safely.

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James at Newtown Daily Photo, where you can find others reflecting on their reflections.

Working--Interpretive Rangers

Have you ever attended a program in a National Park, National Monument or other natural or historic area?

Whether is it is a guided walk, a campfire program, or an indoor presentation, the knowledge and insight of the rangers is phenomenal. These are people who love what they do, love their subject, and love sharing it with visitors.

This is Ranger Bob, telling

us about climbing on Denali--Mt. McKinley.

(This is not one you can do as a guided walk.)

The ranger at Mt. St. Helens held his audience in rapt attention as he told about the return of wildlife after the eruption of 1980.

Skagway Alaska, the Yukon Gold Rush National Historic Park ranger below relishes the history that he describes. (He looks like he would have been right at home with the prospectors.)

Take advantage of these national treasures when you visit our parks and historic sites. You will be glad you did.

Indian SkyWatch from the WayBack Machine

I took this while we were cruising on Lake Periyar in the Periyar Tiger Preserve National Park in India ten years ago. We didn't see any tigers, but we did see some elephants in the distance, some wild boar, and lots of cormorants who liked to sit on those snags in the water. The hotel where we stayed warned us to be sure to close the windows so that we would not be overrun by monkeys. I was so glad we visited this National Park--I have visited National Parks in four countries besides my own. There is something about seeing and understanding what a nation decides to hold apart and preserve that always intrigues me.  SkyWatch Friday is here.

ABC Wednesday -- U is for Up.

Looking UP the hill the other day at the Wild Horses Monument reminded me that we had now arrived at the letter U in the sixth round of ABC Wednesday.

There are all sorts of things to be seen by looking up--depending on where you are and when.

Riverside, California                                                       Prosser Ballon Rally

Central Washington State Fair

Arches National Park

Weather station at Paradise                           Wild dogwood at Ohanapecosh

Seattle