The equinox was celebrated on the way to Lower Lamarck Lakes Saturday with snow pellets dotting the trail. But it was the wind that was most incredible...
We touched the shore around 3pm but quickly retreated as the winds began to increase exponentially. The wind hissed through the pine needles, then began to roar...but then it really started to increase. We began to hear sounds we never heard before...a hollow low-pitched whistle. Not a moan, but an incongruent combination of low pitched vibrations, hissing, and rumbling; we began to crouch as there seemed no end to its escalation. Then it leveled out, and heard it slowly fade behind us as we hastily made our way down to a lower elevation.
The sound gave us an idea of the terror one might have felt if they were present during the 150-200mph winds that blew down thousands of 4’ diameter trees a few years ago in the area. We saw those downed trees a few months earlier and tried to imaging what it must have sounded like...now we have an idea.
The fall colors we enjoyed on the way down were a little more vibrant since we had our senses heighten by the experience. Fall is definitely here and looks like a great year for splashes of gold and yellow soon to be painted through the green conifers in the high country.We were surprised to see heather still blooming in late September. They usually end their display near the end of July. Paula guessed its was because of a consistently warm summer and most likely the result of numerous summer rains.
2011 Historic Windstorm...
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