Mitchell Lake Trail

Yesterday I answered my mountain craving.

Even though we live right at the base of the mountains, 

we don't make the drive up into the hills nearly often enough.

We were treated 

to the very beginnings

of the golden Aspens' seasonal change

as we made our way up to 

Brainard Lake Recreation Area

& the Indian Peak Wilderness.

It was sunny when we started the hike

up to Mitchell Lake, 

but as we ascended, 

the fog met us.

The fog became so dense that we

nearly walked right past the lake

without even noticing it.

It was so beautifully eerie

to be completely enveloped

so that even the horizon is erased,

and to feel like we were the only ones for miles.

The promise of rain 

& the cold seeping into our bones

pushed us back down the path, 

and back down the mountain, 

out of the rain, 

and into our cozy home

to wrap our hands around steaming mugs.

Hoh Rainforest

One day Z & I drove over to the

gorgeous

Hoh Rainforest.

While Z took a long run

through this temperate rainforest, 

I hiked the trails and took

photo after photo.

I've never been so content to

walk in the rain...

these photos can't begin to

do justice to the scenery...

and the elk herd we saw!

Brrr...

On Saturday we went down to Denver.

Z wanted to run in a 5k put on by a 

local Lutheran camp, raising money

to fight hunger.

The week before, Z had run in a cross-country

race in Boulder, and it was hot.

This week, though, things were a little different.

As in, really cold and really wet.

Not far from us it was snowing,

but at the race, it was just pouring down rain.

Z was wearing his shortest shorts.

I was wearing 4 layers of shirts plus a jacket

and was still freezing.

So I told Z to just finish as fast as possible

and I would be waiting with a towel

and warm(er) clothes at the finish.

Evidently that was motivation enough, 

because he. was. fast.

And he won.

Here he is looking miserable waiting to start.

And here he is looking only slightly

less miserable, but with considerably

more clothes on, displaying his medal.

After the race we tried to go watch 

the Clemson game with the 

Clemson Club that meets in Denver, 

but we got the time wrong

(hey, adjusting for time zones can be tricky)

so we ending up hanging out with some

Wake Forest folks for part of their game

before heading home to thaw out.

Even though it was really cold, 

I have to say that the snow-covered

back range is amazing.

I'll try to post a photo soon!

Until then, don't forget to see all my Colorado Fall Color

photos on Flickr.

Rain, rain

Here in Bakersfield

water is precious.

In a place that only gets 6-8 inches

of rain per year,

a day of rain is usually celebrated.

Unfortunately, a town that

never gets much rain is

not equipped to deal with a lot of rain.

It has been raining for 4 days now.

On Sunday, the ping ping ping of water falling

announced a leaky roof.

Cars are stalled in flooded roads as people

unfamiliar with driving in these conditions

attempt to finish their holiday errands.

The damage is daunting,

& I pray for all those affected.

But I also think, in some way,

the rain has forced us all to slow down,

to stop.

With all of the rushing around, the

usual break-neck pace of the holidays,

a moment of pause to reflect on the waters

may be just what we need.

Every little drop

A little rain goes a long way here.