i didn't have a camera so this will have to do

My family stayed at the cabin last night. It is so beautiful up there. Here's my picture of this morning.

I woke up early and hiked to the falls. The skies were blue, and the morning air was refreshing; cool and damp from yesterday’s rain. Pillars of sunlight streaming through the trees left pools of light on the forest floor, sending steam rising from the evaporating dew. In the meadow, millions of drops of dew and rain exploded into a field of crystals in the morning sun. Late May is the greenest time in the Utah mountains, and three days of rain brightened the colors and made everything crisp. Small footbridges that usually cross dry streambeds were covered over by rushing water, creating a game of finding a new way across. Small streams had appeared in new places, and the streams that usually trickle through the forest had turned into rushing rivers. In some places the trail branched off onto higher ground to escape the water. I’ve never been so alone on that trail. Alone in a good way, like it was just me, the mountains and God, and the hugeness and grandness of nature stretching out around and above me reminded me of my smallness compared to the world. Running on the narrow trail felt perfect, my muscles propelling me forward, eyes reading the uneven ground to find the next footfall, breathing in that cool mountain air. The forest carried the fresh smell of earth and trees and rain. Rounding the last corner to the falls, I saw the mist rising from the bottom, filling the whole lower area. More water than I’ve ever seen there was hurling itself off the edge and pounding onto the rocks below, creating a larger cloud of mist than usual. The morning sun hit the mist and created a magnificent rainbow. I sat in the mist, watching the water crashing down for a few minutes, then climbed up further on the rocks, above the lower falls. Out of the cool spray, I had a vantage point of the mountains stretching out from the falls, clouds resting around the tops. It was the only time I’ve ever been completely alone at Stewart, and it was definitely the most beautiful I’ve ever seen it.

Pictures of the view from the hike via jpcrockett on flickr. It was prettier than these this morning though!