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19 June ~ 2007
I was a little uneasy up there, alone, so far from anything. I kept telling myself myself to just go slow and careful, and you will be safer up here than most people are down in the city.The last thing I ever want to happen is to slip or fall and not be able to walk out. That would be in a heck of a fix, and is a good thing to remember. It reminds a person to be cautious.
What you learn by facing difficulties and solitude is that you need to be tough and calm-minded. The only person you can rely on is yourself, which is pretty much true in or out of mountains.
The second night it thundered just after sunset. What a beautiful sound, echoing off the sides of the valley. A few minutes later it began to rain, and me and the dogs retreated into the tent for a good night's sleep, at 8:45 on a Saturday night.
At 3:30 AM I was rested. The skies had cleared and wind had emptied the moisture from the air. The night before had been the new moon, so it was pitch black and the stars were incredibly bright.
I opened the tent above me and stared up into the heavens for a very long time. I was thinking what I have read - that our sun is one star of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains 100 billion stars. There are an estimated 100 billion galaxies each with 100 billion stars. This number gets larger when astronomers are able to see further out.
The majesty of the night sky, and its mysterious testament to the Creator is something that is masked by the lights of the lowlands. It takes climbing so far up there to understand how spiritual and beautiful night really is.
After a while a bright shooting star flared across the sky from high center down to the right. I wondered as I have done before if anyone else saw it.
I snuggled back into the tent to make sure I finished my sleep and wouldn't miss the 5:30 light hitting the peaks at the top of the valley.
It might seem bleak and lonesome to be up there alone and Its true there is some of that. There is also plenty of love however: the kind my border collies and I share, for the adventure and freedom of the mountains. It is all so great - the fresh air, the sound of the rapids 300 yards down from camp, that reflection of the peaks in the pond that we kept going over to look at, the hermit thrush singing so beautifully at dusk.
I found an easier way out than the route I had come in on. Instead of bushwacking through forest ravines I stayed just above the willows, crossing the stream a few miles down near some beaver ponds. I will remember that in case I lucky enough ever to return to this valley.
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