Hidden Canyon
Visitors to shuttle stop #7 have a tough choice between Hidden Canyon, Weeping Rock and the Overlook Trail. I finally managed to make time to visit this one.
This is one of the last popular hikes in the main canyon that I hadn't yet done. Hidden Canyon has a rather steep set of switchbacks and trails but it's quite smooth most of the way. It can be rather strenuous so on one of the many stops you'll need, please be certain to enjoy the fantastic overview you'll have.
From one of my favorite hiking bloggers ....
The trail to Hidden Canyon starts at the Weeping Rock Trailhead, the 7th stop on the Zion Canyon Shuttle, the same trailhead as for the Observation Point Trail and the East Rim Trail up to Cable Mountain, Deertrap Mountain, and the East Entrance Trailhead. Hike up the paved trail that zig-zags its way up the east side of the main canyon. Take your time; if you're not acclimated to uphill hiking, this could be quite strenuous. Soon enough you will come to the junction of the Hidden Canyon Trail; now it's time to choose the path less traveled!
An Unusually, Grey Day in Zion
Very soon after my arrival in Zion National Park, we had a humdinger of rainstorm. The after-show was epic
Having grown up in California, I am quite used to having clear, blue blanket above me. As I traveled around the country and the world, I always seemed to be more attracted to clouds and grey skies than the sunny ones from my youth.
In Germany, I loved the high, thin clouds that blew in from the Atlantic. In South Carolina, the thunderstorms were some of the most powerful ones I'd ever seen. Juneau, Alaska has 250+ days a year of precipitation and the resultant clouds billowing over the water and the mountaintops were things of amazement and beauty that I've never seen since. Idaho's high prairies created some of the highest/tallest clouds known to man ... or at least this man. So, yeah. You can say that I appreciate clouds.
When I moved to Zion National Park, I knew that it be in a desert and the heat and dryness would be covered by clear, blue and yellow heat. What I did not expect was the incredible power and beauty of the few storms that run through here. Soon after my arrival, I was lucky enough to see an awesome storm that swept through the canyon depositing enough rain to create powerful waterfalls on all the cliffs and made all the dry washes and river beds come to life.
My favorite part of it all was the play of light as it emerged at the tail end of the storm. As the clouds thin and the rays broke through, I was able to see these stones, cliffs, and pillars in an entirely new way.
Enjoy!
Columbia Plateau Trail - Cheney, WA
Here there be monsters! ... and bikers and strollers and puppies.
OK. I have no excuse for the tardiness of this post. I took this brief trip to Columbia Plateau Trail just shortly before my move to San Antonio and never got around to completing this post.
That's a shame because I had a blast and I'm sure that I had some wonderful and witty things to say. Or not!
The 130-mile Columbia Plateau State Park Trail is one of the state’s hidden riches; explorers who find it are rewarded with big eastern Washington skies, rolling landscapes and unforgettable journeys.
So sorry (not really sorry) for the delay. In brief ... Go!
Snakey Snake!
Springtime in the Suburbs
I don't have a favorite season of the year. They all have their equal charms but I won't lie and say that I don't get a bit giddy when the new flowers pop up ... even the ones in the yard.
Yep. I'm still a sucker for flowers in almost all forms
Texas is blessed with warm temps for most of the year so these little suckers are popping up left and right with no fear of frost. In the fields, there are plenty of native grasses and wildflowers springing forth and in every yard in town (in this case Olmos Park), the colors are coming on full speed.
I had an hour to kill so I spent it in one of my favorite ways ... walking. This time is was through the very nice homes in this little township near my home. So much color.
I don't even have a yard at the moment so I've been tempted to find an ignored part of town to adopt and tame. I spent many years as a landscaper and as a certified Master Gardner and the desire to start working in the soil again is quite strong.
The book below is one of my longtime favorite gardening books. The folks at Sunset do a great job of updating the climate information in the various zones and the number of plants that they have contained in the book is stunning. Soon I'll have a yard again ... but not soon enough.
The Clouds of San Antonio
If you know me, I have a tendency to look upwards. So far, I've been stunningly impressed with what I've seen in the skies down in Texas.
I spend a lot of time looking at and admiring the clouds. My elder son gives me a funny look when I mention if a particular one looks cool or when I show excitement at an ominous-looking ridge moving in the sky. He's used to it by now, I suppose.
I'm in a new state now and the clouds are noticeably different than the ones in the Inland Northwest but they're still quite majestic. The flatness of the earth, and the lack of mountains give the wind and moisture far fewer impediments and allows the vapor to pool together in massive and monstrous forms.
The moisture comes up from a variety of sources and climbs up to join the flying sea. The science of temperature, air pressure, the wind, and gravity combine to create the shapes and colors we see above. The sun and its rays paint light on the great number of surfaces that can catch and hold the reflection. Within moments, white turns to blue, which turns to gray, then, as if by magic, the collection of water shifts a tiny bit and the mass bursts into orange as it captures and reflects light from the sun.
The clouds seem to be a bit different in every region in which I visit or live. Sometimes only slightly so but there are always unique shapes and sizes. I don't know the meteorological science behind them very well but that doesn't stop me from looking up to view and admire them.
I wouldn't call myself a daydreamer. That label has an air of unproductivity to it and I'm certainly not that. I like looking at them. They're an excuse to escape the stresses of the day and they give me a reminder that I'm living in the present moment. Their vastness reminds me that we're all just specks of dirt on the earth's surface and the knowledge of the great distances they travel and reminds me of the wider world.
Don't forget to look up!
A Walk Through the Grass
The secret to happiness is freedom ... and the secret to freedom is courage. - Thucydides
We wear masks. All of us do. In order to keep the social peace, we smile when we're supposed to. We use good manners and we keep ourselves pretty in order to be accepted. Most of the time, when we rebel against social norms, we fall into the familiar, well-used patterns of rebellion because we really don't know any other ways. Our "rebellion" looks just like those of all the other wannabe rebels.
We pretend to like the popular things ... sometimes we convince ourselves that we DO like that cool band or new movie. We don't speak our true minds. We keep ourselves so tight and wrapped up because of all the unspoken rules about how we're supposed to BE when we're in the world. So many things we have to do to conform and be "normal".
I just wondered what a thing it would be...if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free. It would be...heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unemcumbered, into the morning. - Tony Kushner
Those who do not move, do not notice their chains. ― Rosa Luxemburg
The world I held so closely, she played me like a game, I released and left her laughing to stand on my own two feet. ― Coco J. Ginger
The Geometry of Snow
The Geometry of Snow
We live in a beautiful portion of the country. From any part of Spokane, you're just a few minutes in any direction to being in the wilderness, the prairie or the rolling farmlands. Mountain streams and the hidden valleys abound. With this heavy snow, even a walk through the South Hill becomes an escape into nature.
Stevens Lake by iPhone
I've already told you about this trip to Stevens Lake in a previous post so I won't bore you with the details again. I suppose that I could add some cute poetry but I suspect that you'd rather see the pretty picture.
There may have been some skinny-dipping involved. The water was as chilly as you might expect so I didn't last long.
As the trail winds through several types of forests and gains elevation quickly, every bend and turn provided a new view or a new type of forest to walk through.
I so thoroughly love every aspect of the Stevens Lake Trail. It's my favorite escape valve in North Idaho.
Stevens Lake - iPhone - danscape (18 of 69)