Summer haze
The thermometer is supposed to peak in the mid-90’s today down here in the low country. That’s about what it was yesterday. Too hot for me.
I looked west to the Olympics this morning at sunrise. (The neighbor’s dogs had been barking all night, so I called off any attempt at sleep around 4:30, and gone out on Commencement Bay for a morning paddle). The water was glass, reflecting the oranges and reds of the coming sun. A single swirl of cumulus was slowly disntegrating into the violet sky above Mount Rainier.
I could see the Brothers and Mount Constance, and farther to the south, Mount Washington and Mount Ellinor. The details were not as clear as they are sometimes, especially in winter. Summer haze and thicker air make the mountains look like they are hidden behind a veil of gauze, partially obscured, but more beautiful because of it.
By the time I landed back on the beach where I started, the sun was up, day had officially begun and it was already getting hot.
It’s hot in the Olympic highlands too, and the snow is melting fast. With a week or two of this weather, all but a few of the trails will be open and the climbing season will be here in full force.
About Ken Campbell
New Release
A story of sea kayaking and science on the rugged coast of Alaska. Coming – Spring 2014.
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