Up High
Mount Raineer, Washington
“For some early visitors the power of the waterfalls suggested spiritual connections. They named it after Narada, after a powerful sage of Hindu mythology who acted as a messenger between human and divine realms.” (About Narada Falls) Thus reads the plaque next to a glorious waterfall which has a depth of 168 feet. It’s nice to see Narada Muni memorialized here in the state of Washington. Our bus crew of young men and women who have read of the sage since their early childhood were rather surprised to see one of their heroes honoured in this obscure place.
Rainier, which has an elevation of 14,000 feet possesses all the dynamics of a mountain. There’s plenty of snow on top. We ascended it about halfway by bus, and then descended from there by foot. What a thrill the white stuff was for our Floridians on board, some had never seen snow before. Tourists drove up to experience the phantasmagoria, the vista. They were able to see marmots, deer, blue jays, eagles, bears, squirrels, and now they saw monks. Mahatattva, the San Diego brahmachari and I are attired in our usual saffron cloth. It looks great against the white and green mountain backdrop. We took our descent by way of road, and tourists were clicking their cameras like crazy, including us in their days adventure.
What a radical adjustment it was going from high and dry 90 degree Fahrenheit weather a week ago in Mexico to the chill and dampness and half the temperature up in this mountain in Washington state.
Regarding weather, when we were ready to set out in the morning, one of the young guys on the bus had just awoken. He got up, stood there looking a little groggy, peering through the bus window. He asked, “What’s the weather like?” and while he was standing there just a few inches away from the window pane, I volunteered to answer, “Why don’t you just check it out on the internet?” I teased.
22 Km
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