Finding Peace
Chinook Creek, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
I went to the mountains to look at wildflowers yesterday and ended up watching waterfalls and spending hours sitting by the beautiful clear waters of Chinook Creek, surrendering the stresses of the week to the rhythm of the flowing water.
The healing process for my foot will take awhile longer but I I got doctor approval for some easy walking as long as it wasn't painful, and I have been sadly missing alpine wildflower season, so I had planned to head up early in the morning to Mount Rainier National Park to visit some short and flat trails that usually have good wildflower viewing.
However, I arrived at my destination to find it overflowing with cars and people. (I would later find out from someone who asked me for directions, that the park rangers were directing people to this area as an alternative to the very long wait to get into the Sunrise entrance.) Being not in the mood for crowds of people, I decided to head to a less crowded spot and a trail I have hiked before that I knew had some waterfalls and creek access within the first half mile. I'm not sure the steepness of that half mile, the uneven trail surface, and the rocky sections by the water were quite the "easy walking" the doctor had in mind but I did give my foot some therapeutic soakings in an ice cold glacier fed stream!
I found a couple of beautiful spots to sit down by the creek, and without miles of hiking ahead of me I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy them. So I immersed myself in the sounds of the rush and flow of the creek, watched the play of sunlight on the water and how it changed as the sun moved across the sky, visually explored in depth all the details of the rocks and pools of water, and lazily watched dragonflies, butterflies, and an American Dipper. And since I only saw 3 other people in the hours that I was there, I especially enjoyed the soul nurturing tranquility of solitude. (A surprising find on a sunny Saturday in August at Mount Rainier!)
Finding Peace
Chinook Creek, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
I went to the mountains to look at wildflowers yesterday and ended up watching waterfalls and spending hours sitting by the beautiful clear waters of Chinook Creek, surrendering the stresses of the week to the rhythm of the flowing water.
The healing process for my foot will take awhile longer but I I got doctor approval for some easy walking as long as it wasn't painful, and I have been sadly missing alpine wildflower season, so I had planned to head up early in the morning to Mount Rainier National Park to visit some short and flat trails that usually have good wildflower viewing.
However, I arrived at my destination to find it overflowing with cars and people. (I would later find out from someone who asked me for directions, that the park rangers were directing people to this area as an alternative to the very long wait to get into the Sunrise entrance.) Being not in the mood for crowds of people, I decided to head to a less crowded spot and a trail I have hiked before that I knew had some waterfalls and creek access within the first half mile. I'm not sure the steepness of that half mile, the uneven trail surface, and the rocky sections by the water were quite the "easy walking" the doctor had in mind but I did give my foot some therapeutic soakings in an ice cold glacier fed stream!
I found a couple of beautiful spots to sit down by the creek, and without miles of hiking ahead of me I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy them. So I immersed myself in the sounds of the rush and flow of the creek, watched the play of sunlight on the water and how it changed as the sun moved across the sky, visually explored in depth all the details of the rocks and pools of water, and lazily watched dragonflies, butterflies, and an American Dipper. And since I only saw 3 other people in the hours that I was there, I especially enjoyed the soul nurturing tranquility of solitude. (A surprising find on a sunny Saturday in August at Mount Rainier!)