12.11 and 12.12 Tillamook Forest: Kings Mountain, a butt-kicker and Saddle Mountain, a delight
Can't think of any other place I'd rather be...give us a second. Focal flowers...even the thick mist could not hide such beauty...perhaps enhancing them In the beginning, the forest was covered in mist and low cloud We have not climbed a mountain in a few days for a host of reasons, one being that the season is still young. Too much snow and ice in places makes it treacherous. Today we found a steep climb but from a very low elevation. That is interesting because many mountains are climbed not from the base but the trailhead. So one may climb, for example, 4,000 feet and reach an altitude of 11,000 feet whereas a 6,000 feet elevation gain might result in lesser altitude. However, you knew that. This missive includes two mountain climbs, the more difficult one being less picturesque. Our words cover Kings Mountain mostly while the pictures are nearly all from Saddle Mountain in the mist and clouds. Jenni reaches first peak as clouds consider dissipating Pro...