THE POST MOLE

One of my favorite times of the day in the rain forest is the early morning when the forest is shrouded in mist. The surrounding trees take on an eerie monochromatic hue. All is still and quite. I shot this photograph as we ascended Mount Angeles early one morning before the fog had lifted.

Mrs. Trowbridge captured a magical moment with her brush, just as the sun was breaking through the veil of mist to bathe the forest floor in warm sunlight. The mail mole makes his daily rounds, his breath leaving a vapor trail as he ambles along.

The setting for Mrs. T's painting, between Wolf Bar and Wild Rose Creek, was thankfully spared from the devastation brought on by last December's "storm of the century". You may have seen the photo essay of the storm that I published on this blog last summer. Our son, Brad, and I hiked into Wild Rose Creek, where Mrs. T once lived, to survey the damage. Hundreds of years must pass before the Quinault Rain Forest can repair itself and heal its wounds.