January 02nd, 2017

The whole concept of 'wild' was decidedly European, one not shared by the original inhabitants of this continent. What we called 'wilderness' was to the Indian a homeland, 'abiding loveliness' in Salish or Piegan. The land was not something to be feared or conquered, and 'wildlife' were neither wild nor alien; they were relatives. Douglas Peacock

Morning y'all,
It's a beautiful, rainy morning up top. The high yesterday 44 degrees. The overnight low was 40 degrees. It was 44 degrees and raining lightly at 7am observation. The mountain received .44 inches of rain last night. The warm rain is sure to have melted out some of the ice on trail. I would not consider Microspikes a necessity at this point. The trails are sure to be soggy today, so be prepared for wet conditions! Get out and enjoy the day!
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I went for a brief run yesterday, moreso to move my mind than to move my body. It was an uninspiring day to get out - windy, gray, with a light rain coming in spurts. I had to overcome the quiet inertia that a day spent with good book and comfortable bed produces. I checked in at the shelter, then went out to Cliff Tops to watch the clouds for a minute. I descended the steeper, icier way and picked my way through the rocks in my light trail runners. As I stopped my watch and turned toward the kitchen, I was surprised to find a black bear standing on the picnic table! We were about 4 feet from another and I am not sure who was more startled. I nearly slipped in the mud but was able to make my way back to my cabin. I ended up watching him from my porch for a bit before shooing him off with an air horn. I wish that I could have gotten a photo, but my phone was in the kitchen. I don't know what kind of omen seeing a black bear on the first day of the year represents, but it feels like it's probably something...