Blues and Purples and Greens

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OK, you know it is July right, and we’re heading into August, not typically your coolest month of the year. Some people say it is unseasonably warm even if it is summer. That’s the kind of understatement that makes it very clear we were once a British colony. It’s kind of like saying that Donald Trump is somewhat opinionated. We for one are comforted by our governments pronouncement that there is no such thing as Global warming, as otherwise this heat might cause us to despair.

Given all that we are still freaking hot. Even up here where The Institutes main headquarters are located, halfway to the sky amid the cooling breezes of the upper stratosphere, one feels like a guppy placed out on the blacktop to wait while your bowl is being scrubbed out. We feel like we could be quite sharp with whomever it is that schedules summer heat.

It is not unusual then that we turn our thoughts to cooler places. Not places like the Arctic, which as you know is melting away, and you have to use sunscreen to be safe out on the ice. What is wrong with a world where you have to put sunscreen on so you don’t sunburn to death while you’re standing on an ice shelf. That’s sort of a rhetorical question so no answer is expected as it is too ridiculous to contemplate anyway.

We’re thinking of places that aren’t so ludicrous. Places where you can walk into the cool shadows of giant cedar trees, where the deep spaces are filled with emerald green moss, and water drips quietly down the face of deep purple walls to splash into tiny pools of cobalt blue water.  A place where the silence is barely broken by a bird call or the slight rustle of branches swaying high above you. A place like this.

As you come down off the Going To The Sun highway on the western side, there is a hidden trail that leads into old growth cedar trees called the Trail of The Cedars. It is a wooden walkway elevated above the forest floor, with twists and turns and places to stand and look at incredible views that surely Tolkien must have used to create Lothlorien, the land of the Silvan elves. One of those places is located at an abrupt turn of the trail where you cross over a wooden bridge and can peer down into this hidden grotto.

The feeling of the cool moist air that floats out of the grotto to envelope you in its delightful mist is an experience that is as profound as is it is enjoyable. It is so enjoyable in fact, that we here at The Institute are in delicate negotiations with the National Park Service to move this grotto and its stream to The Institute grounds where we can keep it safe from any natural or manmade disaster. We do this with no thought of personal gain or benefit, but simply as a service to the American people. So far they have been tough negotiators but we are nothing if not persistent so our hopes are high at this time.

You too can visit this place if you are pure of heart and don’t throw anything in the pool, because if you do you are immediately transported to Death Valley in your skivvies. With no sunscreen. Rocks melt in Death Valley. Be warned. Just go to Glacier National Park and look for the small sign that says “Trail of The Cedars”. Be prepared to be stunned. Most people aren’t used to this much beauty in one place.

Trail of the Cedars

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Thinking of visiting Glacier National Park this summer? Good choice. If you go there is one part of the park you do not want to miss and that is Trail of the Cedars, an open air cathedral of giant trees, small streams, spectacular rock formations and most impressive of all, a silence that is as soothing as it is welcome.

Foot of the Monarch

There is a raised wooden walkway that is wheelchair accessible and wanders past the big trees and over small streams in a loop that takes about half an hour to travel unless you are a photographer, then it will take you about three hours. If you are one who likes solitude it may take you even longer.

Reaching for the sun

Sunlight penetrates the canopy and highlights the leaves above your head.

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Shadow pictures against this huge cedar are constantly changing as the movement of the branches above are affected by wind, clouds and sometimes your imagination.

Dappled Sunlight

This is a green place in the spring. Green is every where and made even more pronounced by the deep red background of cedar mulch that has accumulated over the  years.

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One of the highlights of your stroll through this enchanted forest is this grotto with it’s purple rock face glistening with snowmelt and lit with dappled sunlight. You can easily imagine elves and other creatures holding their very important meetings here.

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The colors are nearly other worldly, deep purples and magentas, flecks of silver and swatches of emerald green compliment each other in a way only nature can achieve.

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The cedars give reason to all that you see. The hidden areas behind the trees beckon to you and you want to be able to go in there and see what treasures are concealed in it’s beauty.

Color of Cedar

As in everything that nature creates there are endings, or beginnings depending on your viewpoint. This giant cedar is returning to the earth and replenishing the soil as it completes it’s transformation. While it slowly breaks down it is a constant source of beauty adding it’s rich colors to the forest floor.

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Although you could easily stand inside this tree I wouldn’t. Some times when you are very still you can hear sounds way off in the background, sounds like a very heavy door closing perhaps. So just to be safe let’s stay on the trail.

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On the way out the forest you will cross Avalanche creek which formed Avalanche gorge and flows out of Avalanche lake. I know it’s a lot of  avalanches but it is gorgeous none the less. The best time to see the Trail of the Cedars I believe is in the early spring, the crowds haven’t hit yet and you often have this place to yourself. This is a heavily used area later in the summer and as the hike is only a mile long you won’t often be alone. Having said that I would not miss this whatever time of year you happen to be there.