Parasol
Mt. Hood from Bald Mountain · Mt. Hood National Forest · Rhododendron · Oregon · USA
After a predawn start at Mirror Lake (see "Outer Sanctum," "Touching the Quick," and "Mirrored Soul"), I had the whole day left in front of me and decided to head up to McNeil Point by way of Bald Mountain. The dramatic clouds from early morning had given way to near-perfect azure, and rising temps put a beat-down on my sleep-deprived body. But the fantastic weather conditions and breathtaking vistas fueled me on, and every once in a while the sun would blow me kisses like it did here over the parasol of a cow parsnip bloom (Heracleum maximum).
