A big sky (clouds) over Mount Woodson.
A hazy evening: Balloonists at dusk, in the distance. Clouds cover the ocean.
Life is filled with tradeoffs. Expressed differently, we face decision making situations continuously.
Once a person decides to follow a course of action, it usually precludes taking an alternative. Sounds heavy
and mysterious. Hardly. However, to bring some relevance to the topic or as our editor might state, get practical,
Jeffrey, we offer the following simple analogy—a hike to explain a facet of life. Simply put, if you want to see
a sunrise or sunset from a mountaintop, a person has to either walk up in the dark and down in the light or the
reciprocal for a sunset, up in the light, down in the dark. There are no other options unless we have
missed it—always a possibility.
Sunrise on Iron Mountain.
Sunset from Iron Mountain, looking towards the Pacific Ocean. What a long day!
'Looking at clouds from both sides now'...with sun in the eyes.
We did just that. Last Sunday morning, we left home at 4:30am so that we would be waiting for the sun
while sitting on a boulder at the peak of Iron Mountain. We were not disappointed because we find that each
occasion is unique. We touched on this once before. It is less about the place and more about the time. We might
add in the factor of dimension too, which could be construed as a person's mood or frame of mind, at the time.
Although we are very familiar with the route and parts of the mountain, on each occasion we experience something
different. Besides being an interesting phenomenon, it might tell us something deeper. Surely, if one is having
a different experience on each visit, one should never be bored. In fact, it might teach that boredom occurs
when we don't open our senses to the surroundings. Perhaps boredom might be considered an internal problem
rather than too much familiarity with external factors.
Dusk again.
Back to sunrise on the mountain.
We cross to Mount Woodson to enjoy spectacular views as we rose above the clouds.
There is a need to maintain a balance in life, we think. Our contribution to this idea was to approach
Iron Mountain four days later but this time, hike up in the late afternoon to enjoy a sunset. We arrived at
about 6pm and headed to the peak loaded with dinner to enjoy after the sweat. En route, we witnessed a rainbow
towards the east which was both refreshing and surprising. Later, there was a sprinkling of rain which was even
more refreshing. Both those occurrences are unusual in the region, particularly during summer. We believe the
pictures illustrate the beauty of the setting at the time the sun weakened while clouds filled the depressions
and touched and flirted with the mountains. It was another outstanding occasion as well as being something we
haven't seen before. Similar, we admit, but unique.
Some days, one can only gape in wonder and try absorb what occurs about us.
Looking towards Iron Mountain as the clouds form a link.
At sunrise, a few yellow rays stray over the valley with very little clouding.
Clouds are another phenomenon that, besides being the source of water (and protection), provide
extraordinary beauty in their colors, form and reflections. Once again, every cloud formation is
unique—each day the views are different. Now that we have touched on the idea of their flirting with the
mountains, perhaps we should approach our mountain-editor and shower her with affection.
Island in the sky
Sun, mountains, clouds and a rainbow thrown in for good measure at the 'Iron'.
We feasted on the clouds this morning at Mount Woodson.
We came across a group of hikers who appeared, at first glance, to be a movie-crew poised
over a subject, flashlights focused pointedly. Until we got very close, we had no idea what had captured their
attention. On the path, at the side, lay a rather large and long rattle snake. Each time, it's different. Sometimes
the editor is not so big on 'differences'.
A room with a view.
An eruption in the sky
Following the two hikes to Iron Mountain, we needed to rebalance so we hiked up Mount Woodson, early Sunday morning.
Weather, crowds and aesthetics make it imperative to arrive as the gates open. Unfortunately, this is only a little
before sunrise, preventing us reaching the peak for the 'fireworks'. Nevertheless, the heavy cloud layers were
nothing short of spectacular making us feel we were in a wonderland.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
No comments:
Post a Comment