August 26, 2017
Well, Charlie and I are well into our second day at Baptiste Lookout this summer, and we've both settled into the slow, easy rhythm of the place. We each spend a lot of time gazing out at our amazing world ... I slowly scan the ridges for smoke, marveling at the grace and the quiet of it all, while Charlie maintains a less-distant focus, watching the trail for approaching hikers, and scanning the lookout meadow for squirrels and marmots.
While there may have been marmots, there have been no other human hikers, and it's all been blissfully peaceful. And the view here is as gorgeous as I've ever seen it, which is saying something. No smoke at all, just bright blue skies and green forests and the shimmering blue lake.
No fires in my area, but there are a couple of worrisome ones around Spotted Bear, the district to the south. Most of that land is wilderness, and visitor protection and firefighter work are managed without roads or vehicles ... mostly animal pack trains and long human hikes. I've been listening in on the two-way radio, hearing them plan their response to the new fire out by Sabido Cabin, east of Schafer Meadows in the Great Bear, and it's fascinating ... going back into another era. I respect the lives of the wilderness rangers a lot, and I'm a little envious of them.
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Anyhow, here are a couple of photos for today. Those of you who have been with me for a while have seen innumerable sunsets from this spot, but I never get tire of them. Living on top of a mountain, the sunsets seem to go on forever across the horizon.
While there may have been marmots, there have been no other human hikers, and it's all been blissfully peaceful. And the view here is as gorgeous as I've ever seen it, which is saying something. No smoke at all, just bright blue skies and green forests and the shimmering blue lake.
No fires in my area, but there are a couple of worrisome ones around Spotted Bear, the district to the south. Most of that land is wilderness, and visitor protection and firefighter work are managed without roads or vehicles ... mostly animal pack trains and long human hikes. I've been listening in on the two-way radio, hearing them plan their response to the new fire out by Sabido Cabin, east of Schafer Meadows in the Great Bear, and it's fascinating ... going back into another era. I respect the lives of the wilderness rangers a lot, and I'm a little envious of them.
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Anyhow, here are a couple of photos for today. Those of you who have been with me for a while have seen innumerable sunsets from this spot, but I never get tire of them. Living on top of a mountain, the sunsets seem to go on forever across the horizon.
When Charlie and I were out walking yesterday evening, I looked out across Silver Basin to Mount Baptiste at just the right moment, and saw my shadow outlined against the trees and the mountainside. I caught the moment with my iPhone, and posted the original over on Instagram ... but I liked a couple of Prisma versions of the photo, too, and I thought I'd share those here.
