Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music • University of Hawaii, Leeward
Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music • University of Hawaii, Leeward
Mount Hood from Trillium Lake • Oregon, USA
Photo by Peter Kun Frary • Canon EOS 10D, EF 24-85 3.5-4.5 USM & Hoya Polarizer
View of Mount Hood and Trillium Lake just off Highway 35, near Timberline.
Trillium Lake is several miles from Timberline on Mt. Hood. Although the ski lifts were closed and skiers long gone, snowboarders were out on the slopes in droves. Late May is chilly at high altitude, so bring a hoodie or jacket.
Lost my lunch
After an ambling 4-hour drive from Portland, I stopped at the lake to relax and eat lunch, settling on a picnic table beneath a cedar grove. The weather was dark, ominous and moody, complementing the solitude of this beautiful place. What an amazing vista before me. And the crisp mountain air was filled with the scent of pine and cedar. Is this not paradise?
The clouds began to break over Mount Hood and glorious sunshine poured forth. I grabbed my camera and trotted to the shoreline, intent on capturing the essence of the woodlands and lake before me. Suddenly I heard the whoosh of wings, turned and saw a hawk like bird swoop down and, without touching ground, snatch my sandwich with his feet and gracefully glide into nearby treetops. I fired off a volley of shots and nailed an empty picnic table. Fast little sucker. Civilization was hours away, so I roughed it on chips and beer that day.
I was being watched
I had a ticket waiting for me on my rental car, the only car in the dang lot. A mountain wilderness with parking fees and meter maids! So while I innocently basked on the shoreline of my idyllic mountain lake, thieving birds and marauding meter maids were watching me from treetops and hidden service roads. Each one, in turn, tearing off a little chunk of my arse. Like a beautiful woman, paradise always seems to have a few hidden warts and zits.
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