I stood along the edge of a steep rocky trail, gazing at the mystic valley that had opened up in front of me. Low-hanging clouds hugged the cliffs, now decorated with the eye-popping yellows of fall. They moved slowly, an ever-changing vista of greys, greens and golds.

A window appeared in the fog, a grey void revealing an avalanche chute that cut through a steep rocky cliffs. A thin mist hovered above those cliffs, lending an ethereal aura to the cold damp day. And just as soon as it had opened up, it closed again, the fog taking back its domain

As I immersed myself in this ephemeral beauty in Olympic National Park, a voice trailed in the background: "As I stood along the edge of a steep rocky trail.....", a fellow hiker echoing my thoughts.

Olympic National Park

WA USA