January 03rd, 2017

Fifteen minutes of music / with nothing playing. Mary Oliver

Morning y'all,
It's another cloudy, grey day up top. The high yesterday reached 47 degrees. The overnight low was a balmy 40 degrees. It was 40 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received .04 inches of rain yesterday. The trails are sure to be a bit soggy, but on the plus side, the ice has melted quite a bit since this weekend. Get out and enjoy this quiet day!

I went out for another short run yesterday, this time down the Boulevard trail. It was yet another attempt to center myself and shake off grey day inertia. I went out a bit earlier than yesterday, enjoying the quietude that these cloudy afternoons bring. It covers the mountain like a warm quilt on days like yesterday. There were absolutely no views, you could not even see Myrtle Point from Apollo Overlook. When there is nothing to see out there, every lichen and moss seems to jump out at you a bit more. I took a few moments to appreciate the hardiness and beauty of the whites, greens, and yellows spackled on some of the cliffs near the Boulevard trail. I turned around after a short bit and power hiked my way back to the lodge. I ran into Grace near the shelter and walked it in with her. As if the doldroms of the grey day were not reminiscent enough of yesterday, just as we rounded the corner near the kitchen we saw the bear yet again! He galloped off immediately this time, too quick for Grace to get a photo. Deja vu is too real!