Early Snow

I carried extra weight because of the storm coming in. My pack was 55 pounds. I didn't come across anyone else up there.

I found a boulder the size of a building, that angled in towards its base. There was just enough level ground to set up my tent.

A day and a half up there the storm arrived, first in rain and clouds swirling around the rocks. At dark it turned to snow. I woke during the night to hear blizzard winds blowing through the trees.

It was still snowing in the morning, and continued most of the next day. I went out exploring, returning every couple of hours to start up the fire and thaw in it's heat, which felt awful good.

My dogs and I would climb upon rock outcroppings and look out on the white over the forest, the lines of snow on the huge boulders.

It was quiet, and so beautiful up there. I know for sure it goes a long ways at making the kind of man I am. I am one of few - the only tracks in the snow on the way out, after the weather turned warm and the melt started, just me and my three border collies.

check out my images of the trip, here:

http://www.journeywest.com/images/October13_2005/OctLCCollage700px.html