Back In The Mam

October 26, 2007

Whew! Six weeks is a long time to be gone. Long enough for the aspens to turn, then fade. Long enough for the last bit of summer to get out of the way and make room for one of the best times of the year -- mid-autumn.

In the high country, the colors are granite gray, flecked with the muted rusts and yellows in the meadows. On most mornings now, the lakes have little whiskers of ice around the edges.

It's a perfect time for one of the best easy hikes and climbs around: The Mono Pass trail and Lembert Dome.

The hike up to the top of the dome is lovely right now. You look down the spine of the High Sierra, feel the wind, take a few gulps of air and suddenly, you're human again, all senses clicking.

Take a ramble out the trail, the highest trail in Yosemite, and if it weren't for the overhead jet traffic, you'd think you were the only person in the world. This is deep meditation.

Nobody's in town, to speak of; just locals and wildlife, and it's so quiet that even the birds are in a state of hush-hush. The sun is low and yellow, backlighting everything. The moon is bright and makes the dustings of snow in the mountains sparkle.

Yeah, six weeks away is a long time, particularly if that time was spent in heavy urbanizing.

I can't think of a better place to return to than Mammoth, really. Especially at this time of the year.

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