Who knows what paradise is like or for that matter Heaven? Who could know of these concepts? On Friday, we set out after watching the stock market fall even with ‘Helicopter Ben’ continuing to print money. We decided to go in the other direction: upwards. We enjoyed a taste of paradise as our eyes feasted on the glorious mountains of the Inconsolable Range and colorful lakes at altitude; we crossed ledges covered in snow, each step higher than the previous—it was relentless, arriving finally at Table Mountain—in the Sierras, rather than the Cape of Good Hope.
We passed 5 lakes in all, each higher than the previous. What a feeling it is to pass a body of water at 9,500 feet, the next hundreds of feet higher with the highest at 11,015 feet. At the final lake, we decided to climb further reaching an altitude of 11,700 or elevation gain of over 2,700 feet, roundtrip eleven miles. Thereafter, we strode across the mountain top and viewed sights that raised the blood pressure, adding a further dimension to the experience. At one stage, we became so excited we didn’t know whether to laugh or weep with joy, sometimes that happens. Instead, we sat on the mountaintop, Eve passed around an apple each while we looked at the surrounding giants. The feeling is surreal being on a mountaintop, looking far below into a lake and observing protruding neighboring peaks at the same level and some higher.
We have not seen too many varying fall colors yet. However, the Aspen’ leaves, mostly yellow with hints of orange, make one realize the dynamics occurring about us, often without our awareness. It reminded us of another facet of our life. Twenty eight years ago, give or take a few months, our daughter Natalie would refer to the color as ‘lellow’. One day while bathing her, we were finally able to get her to replace the ‘l’ with a ‘y’. Why do we mention this? A couple of weeks ago, in similar circumstances in the bath, Ellie, too learned to pronounce the seemingly complex color
yellow. It was quite a feeling for grandparents to experience, in the cycle of life. The idea of a third ‘lellow’ in another twenty-eight years is a wonderful thought but perhaps just that.
The Inyo National Forest is another American treasure—a particular favorite. However, something happened with the official charged with naming the lakes. As we mentioned earlier, we covered 5 lakes, each at a different altitude. The first one, named for the hike or vice-versa, is Tyee. When we reached the second, we asked our editor, “What’s this one called?” She told us: ‘Tyee 2’. When she said the next was ‘Tyee 3’, we wondered if she thought we were that stupid. By ‘Tyee 5’, we realized she wouldn’t make the same joke four times, would she? What’s in a name?
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Part B to follow...
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