Haven’t been writing much as of late, despite having a great many things to write about for once. Ironic. Time to break the silence though.

Earlier this week I hiked to the top of Mt. Si located in or near Snoqualmie. I went with a friend to help him shoot a brief video clip for his job, and because I thought it’d be fun. He warned me beforehand that the hike was somewhat grueling, but I took no heed, thinking to myself that a hike couldn’t be that bad even if I was a little out of shape. Guess what, I was wrong.

The trail we took was four miles long with the peak rising approximately 4,000 feet above ground. On average the slopes we hiked were between 30-50°, by my estimation, and before the first mile was even over my legs were beginning to weaken. Needless to say, the last mile was slow, as I battled with my legs in an attempt to get them to obey orders from my brain.

Getting to the top made it all worth it though, arguably. The entire trail goes through forests of evergreens, but once you hit the peak it all clears away and you can see for miles around. It was a clear day and the sight was something else to behold. Above is a picture of me resting at the peak.

I’d recommend the hike to anyone who enjoys these sorts of things. Supposedly it’s a pretty popular attraction and thus gets pretty busy on weekends and holidays. I went on a weekday and there were very few people on the trail. It also looked like an ideal place to take photographs, though I didn’t have time to fiddle around doing that on this occasion. The forests you hike through are absolutely beautiful, and the sun peeking through the canopy creates some interesting ambiance. It also struck me as a great place to meditate, providing there weren’t many people there when you went. Then again, I suppose any temperate forest or mountain peak would seem good for meditation.

Mt. Rainier as viewed from our house (slightly stylized).

“You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds.”   -Thoreau

Living in San Antonio doesn’t feel much like Seattle.  And for good reason.  However lately it’s been uncharacteristically cloudy and rainy here and it’s actually made me feel a little like I was actually in Seattle.  When I wake up and it’s dark and wet outside I like to think that that’s what I’ll be experiencing when I live and work in Seattle a year from now.  In a way, all this “bad weather” is actually sort of comforting.  It is very much a reminder that there’s a day after tomorrow, and all that jazz.  If this weather somehow miraculously kept up until the end of the year, I’d have to call it a smooth transition.  It isn’t exactly cold here, but that’s okay, I can settle for one of two Washington weather characteristics.

The sun is overrated.  I realize it’s necessary for life on Earth and whatnot, and I appreciate that, but unlike every other manifestation of nature out there, it isn’t appreciable to the eye.  On the contrary, we can’t even look at it directly.  This is where clouds come in.  When it’s cloudy out, it allows us to look at the sky without squinting and to take in all that majesty.  Clouds are even responsible for the only aesthetic aspect of the sun, its rays.  Sun rays streaming in between clouds can be a beautiful sight, but without the clouds there we wouldn’t even be able to distinguish the rays.

Clouds are also responsible for rain, thunder, and lightning, three of the most amazing expressions of nature.  So bring on the cloudy days.  A piece of home come to visit.