“A Moment I am Thankful for on Public Lands”
SEASON 2, WEEK 11
November 23, 2018
Join us on Twitter with the hashtag #NatureWritingChallenge to discuss and share the topic Thursday at 8:30 CST. This post was created in one hour specifically for this challenge.
Since it’s Thanksgiving, I’m going to keep this short. One of the moments I’m most thankful for on public lands happened in October when I was visiting the gorgeous state of Washington. I had just parted ways with my new friend at Mount Rainier and was looking for something to do before going back to the airport so I headed west back to the Olympic Peninsula. I crossed a neat bridge called the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and made my way up to another cool bridge called the Hood Canal Floating Bridge. From there I drove to the Mt. Walker Viewpoint and there it was, the moment I’m forever thankful for… I walked from the parking lot to the viewpoint and saw Mount Rainier in the distance, peeking through the clouds. I remember seeing it, thinking to myself that I knew that mountain, and then reading the sign and just laughing. I was giddy with delight, really, to think I had been so close hours before was insane and wonderful all at once. I went from the South Lookout to the North, saw the amazing range of mountains, and then went back to the South to get more looks at Mount Rainier. There is just something about that place, it’s got a hold over me.
Mt. Walker was a fun drive, a nice quiet place to see some views, and a great places to do a cleanup before heading a few miles up the road to Finnriver Farm & Cidery. I finished the night with the same mountains as I saw from up on high. Probably the second most memorable moment in recent memory. The whole day, really, was a moment. From waking up and seeing Mount Rainier at sunrise to meandering through the park all day, and then making may way back over to the Olympic Peninsula. WHAT A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A DAY.
