Today I participated in a curious ritual. I’m on my way from Holden to Washington, DC for a wedding, and so am riding down Lake Chelan in the Lady II, the ferry which connects our mountain village to the outside world. There are a variety of houses along the lake, though they are somewhat sparse. So, naturally the Lady II drops off supplies as it travels down the lake. One of the Lady’s crewmen approached me and asked if I’d be willing to carry off a block of salt, and I readily accepted the opportunity to hop off the boat for a minute or two. However, we were not delivering to a house as such, but to Point No Point, a little slope that is pretty much indistinguishable from any other along the mountain, and seems fairly aptly named.
But our goal was to deposit several 50 pound blocks of salt on the side of the mountain, near to the shore where the Lady’s passengers could see and admire the creatures of the Wenatchee National Forest. Myself an inhabitant of the forest for about a month now, it seemed very natural for me to hop off the boat and climb a dozen yards or so along the point to drop off the salt, stepping a little gingerly along the way for fear of rattlesnakes (which don’t venture up into Holden’s forest uplake.)
After a month at Holden, I’ve done quite a lot. I hiked to Holden Lake, a beautiful lake nestled between Bonanza and Martin mountains, about 6 miles from the village and 2500 feet up. (5500 above sea level.) The sight of the mountains around me has yet to grow boring. In no small part this is thanks to the clouds which swim down the valley hovering a few hundred yards above, concealing and revealing the mountain trails and trees which crisscross our valley. Perhaps the best view I’ve been greeted with though was a couple weeks ago, on what I know was a Tuesday on account of the pancakes, when I walked out of my chalet and saw a double rainbow bridging the valley above and beyond the Hotel. I got my pancakes and ate outside on the Adirondack chairs with one of my housemates, watching the rainbow fade and the clouds dance along the ridges. It was around this point I realized why Siri had been playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the bells with her usual morning chimings on the organ’s outside speakers.
Now I’m off to DC for a wedding and some dancing with friends, then a few more days and it’s back to my mountain valley home.