Is The Mountain Out?

Now you see it, now you don't; but it's always there

“Clouds come and go, the mountain remains.” – Meeta Ahluwalia

Mount Rainier is an active volcano less than 60 miles from Seattle. More than 14,000 feet tall, it is an imposing feature on the horizon. Except for when it’s not.

Locals ask “Is The Mountain out?” as a way of checking in on the weather. If it’s clear, or there are just high clouds, The Mountain is out – visible to all. But if the clouds sink down just a bit, the looming bulk of the volcano disappears into the gray. Even at the foot of the mountain, from within the national park itself.

Clouds obscure Mount Rainier, just miles away and the source of this rocky river bed.

When the sun is out, The Mountain is out.

That constant presence, visible or not, is a source of joy and comfort to me. I’ve lived here more than a decade, but I still get a shivery thrill when I’m out driving and I come round a curve in the road and suddenly there is The Mountain, dead ahead.

I think it’s a reminder that I can belong here. I chose this landscape — the cedar and moss, the basalt and rain. No one brought me here or sent me here; I chose it.

Today’s Touchstone

A single thing — book, essay, post, paper, idea — that struck me, steadied me, or made me think differently.

Day Hiking: Mount Rainier — Tami Asars

Belonging is like The Mountain. Sometimes, it’s easy to see. Sometimes you have to just trust that it’s there and walk toward it, one trail at a time, until the landscape becomes the map you carry inside you.