Sense memory from February 2011

When: February 2011
Where: Hyak Sno-Park (near Snoqualmie Pass)
With: volunteers for the Community Wildlife Tracking Project
What: tracking wildlife along I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass to gather data in support of wildlife crossings (constructed!)
Accompaniment: Moneygrabber by Fitz and the Tantrums

sun rays cast light on glittering snowy hillocks in a pathway between snow-clad conifers unde a blue sky
a bare branch arches over a sunny spot on the snow, clumps of snow clinging to its stem
people snowshoe through a conifer forest coated with snow as sun rays catch steam rising and dustings of light snow falling

A day of magical light. I hit it off with one of the other volunteers and remember having a fun conversation as we snowshoed through the woods. He lived down in Olympia, though, just a little too far to spend enough time together to cement a friendship. (I was probably too shy to really try, anyway.) Hope life’s treating you well, wherever you are, my short-time friend.

What passing connections do you think back on with fondness?

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Category: Spring 2021

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2 Comments on “Snowshoeing at Hyak”

  1. I’m in the middle of an upgrade or I’d comment via my own website — next time. 🙂

    Responding to your prompt about fleeting connections, one friend I had for a time in China was Donglong, a police officer who attended the local “Chinese conversation table” events where Mandarin students could chat with native speakers. We got along extremely well, and after chatting there several times he offered to take me on a tour of some Buddhist hillside temples.

    Unfortunately he wasn’t able to make good on the offer because he had to undergo an advanced training program for the police department; eventually he stopped coming to the events. It’s a pity: I think we could have been good friends.