Reading: The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Watching: clouds and mountains

Moving: nope

7 September 2002: Signal Mountain

From the top of Signal Mountain, we watched the weather lift. We heard bands of coyotes yip and call to one another, which was fantastically eerie in the mist. We stayed up there for ages, watching the clouds metamorphose and feeling the sunlight, as it broke through, warm us and the valley below. Also we saw a female Spruce Grouse, preening her soaked plumage under a sage bush.

RDC wanted me to smi-el for the camera, and I was having none of that. I might have been the eensiest bit cranky. Then he suggested we add another night to our planned two in town. Meaning tonight.

I could get behind that.

In the meantime, we watched weather. The sun was winning, slowly and for the time being.

As wind and sun scoured the peaks free of clouds, they exposed the result. Fresh snow.

The sky cleared completely after noon. We scarpered for camp and struck it, spreading everything from the car, bear locker, and tent on the already-dry gravel of the car platform and some convenient rocks to dry before the next front that we saw building tumbled over the peaks. We got everything disassembled, dried, packed, and stowed before it began to rain again.

Just in time for a short hike in less serious rain gear than Gore-Tex, down String Lake to the northern end of Jenny, hopping across and upstream again, before Jackson, where we found our hotel, showers, and a brew pub in remarkably short order.

Whew.