Mountain Cathedrals

“I’ve sung in mountain cathedrals, with steeples rising high, and altars made of evergreen, and windows made of sky”  Bob Bennett (Mountain Cathedrals)

I was introduced to the mountains as a child when my parents would pack up the tent trailer, and head out for our yearly camping trip.  While my dad and brother would go out fishing, my mother and I would find a nature trail to hike and take photographs of all of the beauty that we came upon.  My mother was instrumental in my love of nature and photographing it (although I do not in any way claim to be a professional).   I am forever grateful for this.  She modeled unconditional love for our family and for life.  She died when I was a teenager and left a big hole in my life.  I spent many years searching to fill this void, and for someone to come in and take her place.  I grew up going to church and after she passed,  thought I might find it there.  I went through relationships hoping it might be there.  All of this searching, with no answers.  Now granted, I am a seeker by nature, and always will be.  But the one place, where I find peace and love in its’ purest form, is in the mountains, the place that she introduced me to.  It is there that I realize my connection to spirit and feel alive.  And it is there that I find the true spirit that lived within my mother.  It is this spirit that I attempt to bring to my everyday life…to find the extraordinary in the mundane; to forgive myself and humanity for just that, being human; and continue trying to make the world a better place.

The hike I went on last July was to Dardanelles Lake as well as a side trip to Round Lake.  The trek was about 10 miles round trip.  It starts at the Big Meadow Trailhead which is off of Hwy. 89.  Once you get into South Lake Tahoe (off of Hwy. 50), go east on Hwy. 89 and after a few miles, the good size parking lot is on the left side of the road.  It is considered easy to moderate because of its’ distance.  I went a little late in the season, so the wildflowers were sparse.  But I still managed to fine a few a lovely areas to photograph.  It began by trekking through Big Meadow which is wide open for some cattle to graze.  As I  passed through the meadow, I entered into firs and pines and began a moderate climb.  I arrived at a  junction, where I turned right for Dardanelles Lake.  I found the hike stimulating and relaxing at the same time, with my senses taking in the aroma of fresh pine, and sights that only the mountains can offer.  I spent a good hour at the lake, exploring and having some lunch.  It was quite breathtaking, surrounded by peaks and pines and an granite island out in the middle.  It was my mountain cathedral for the day… the place to remember my mom, and just be present with all there is.

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On way back, I decided to take a right at the junction and see Round Lake.  It was quite pretty, with clear blue water, but not quite as stunning as Dardanelles.  The cool aspect of this hike is that the Big Meadow Trail connects with the Meiss Meadows Trail.  One day I would like to hike from one end to the other, which would be about 12 miles.  Had I continued on past Round Lake I would’ve ended up at the Meiss Meadows Trail, where I had been earlier in the month and is covered in my blog, Summer Storms and Wildflowers.  After exploring Round Lake for a bit, I headed back, thankful for another  journey and all that is yet to come.

“You’re the color of the sky reflected in each store-front window pane,  you’re the whispering and the sighing of my tires in the rain;  you’re the hidden cost and the thing that’s lost in everything I do; yeah and I’ll never stop looking for you, in the sunlight and the shadows, and the faces on the avenue…that’s the way love is.”  Jackson Browne (Sky Blue and Black)

This piece is dedicated to my mother, Betty Looker, with whom I am forever grateful…