The locals say that this is very unusual, and that a change is coming soon. So, I spent the day near the summit, reveling in the spreading color. I took a hike to Teresa Lake, one of the Alpine lakes here.
The good news is that I made it at that altitude, the bad news is that in the Fall the snowmelt water has mostly dried up:
This is a place in which to deeply relax, knowing that it is like this only a few days of the year:
It will take getting home and spending time, but I know already that the Lehman Caves pictures are the antithesis and perfect counterpoint to the scenes at the sun-drenched surface. The narrow, serpentine tunnels connect chambers of astonishing complexity formed over millennia by rises and falls in water levels.
There are formations that look like popcorn, others that look like bacon strips, others like hanging drapes and even some shields that look like parachutes:
Did I mention the icicles?
Just kidding. Everything down here grew in silence and darkness for countless centuries. The stories of how Ab Lehman found the caves are doubtless embroidered in the century since he found them. No matter. It is a thrill and a privilege to see this shrine to Nature's infinite creativity.
On to more adventures!
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