August Light
Lungs busting Jolly & I trudge up 1500’ almost straight up through the subalpine forest on one of the steepest trails in my county. Finally 90 minutes later we arrive at the lake, a cerulean green disc surrounded by a towering cirque of cliffs & ridge line. An old stubborn patch of white refuses to melt away on it’s western shore. This year with the dryness, what was a small dot of earth has become an actual island emerging out of the western shore. A stiff breeze blasts us across from the north causing choppy waves.
This year the flowers are few & noticeably drying up. I hear the caldera of volcanic cliffs above being scoured in an abrupt wall of smashing sound. When it quiets I can hear soft, echoing peep, peeps from the talus on the opposite shore signaling a family of Pika. The cute critters scurry across the rocks & tempt my dog, but he stays put. Pika are true locals that live here at the lake year round even if a part of it is in hibernation.
The winds die off & the lake calms down to a green & blue ripple. The shore at the edge is a jumble of blue grey punctuating rock. Somehow the color is magically transformed underneath the water into sienna brown with coppery points of light in a perfect contrast to the green & turquoise water. I like the calm spells when the depths of this ancient lake shimmer from below. A dark shadow on the southern shore hints of a shoal below, maybe 20’ down? I can see a steep pitch dive down from the eastern shore. The color of the water changes depending on the time of day & season. Today it is a hue out of the tropics, aqua green with bright blue highlights stripe into long transecting strips. Shafts of quartz splay across the cliff face emerging out of the shore in a comblike pattern.
Three hundred feet higher I spot clumps of white from a distance. Blue columbine cling to precarious slopes of talus. The slope alternates between emerald greenery & rocks. Columbines seem to thrive best on steep slopes & mostly in the alpine. The flower’s signature arrangement is a double circle of alternating petals, purple blue with white accents.
I wonder, “How many more times will Jolly & I be able to scramble our way up here to this tucked away gem?” We move on to the north side of the lake and are blasted again. Here the light is a different angle on the lake & creates silver streaks which dance across the water haphazardly like mercury. Calmness again brings glassy reflections as I enjoy the warmth of the sun. The temperature shift makes for an uplifting experience as I sit on the shore studying the colors & shadows unfolding. The emerald tundra lights up 1000’ above us & moves with the sun & clouds.
