Partial Clouds followed by rain followed by evening mist.
On the way to the trail head a neignborhood garden. The crowds were not too bad probably because of the weather.
Looking up the Rock Scramble from first false summit. A few sprinkles had just begun. North and east you could see heavy rain and south and west was clear. The rain finally engulfed the mountain though. It was warm enough that the rain was pleasant. Soaked kit and cloths added to the workout.
Double click on this picture and see if you can see the two hikers. One sitting and one standing. Hint it is way up by what is called the Chute.
In the early evening a Raven enjoys the view and sings a raucous ballad from atop Skyland Wall. Ravens entertained me with amazing displays of aerial prowess among towering cliffs while I was hiking high in the Tetons. Since then I have felt a deep connection with them. They are one of the most intelligent birds and have been known to enlist other species to hunt for them by vocalizing over the predators prey and then sharing in the meal after the predator has killed it. Sometimes their behavoir telegraphs the presence of hiking parties on the Ridge Trail. They engage in play both in the air and on the ground and they have been observed both playing catch me if you can with ground dwellers and sliding down steep snow slopes just for the fun of it. Sir Raven who is featured in an earlier blog flew within several feet of my head on numerous times when I was taking those pictures. Most amazingly while flying into a head-wind he flew at less than a walking pace past me at eye level and only four feet away. He then enagaged in a little bit of a game of peek-a-boo try-and-get-my-picture as he continued to tease me by landing just behind a big boulder between the two of us but flying behind the next boulder just before I could snap a picture. He finally allowed his picture to taken proud as can be which is why a called him Sir Raven.
The Mountain Laurel just showing the first signs of blooming in the switchbacks. The Trillium field has passed until next year although there were a few late bloomers.
On the summit and Saddle Trail the Pinxters still perfumed the air but they will soon be gone until next year. The good news is that as the Pinxters fade the Mountain Laurel will bloom.
Looking back at the summit in the early evening after the rain.
