Tunnel Creek (Olympic National Forest)

Ah, the glorious wonder that is the Olympic National Forest. On a day the weather prognosticators deemed but little chance for precipitation free skies, the clouds kindly withheld dispensing their offerings until a trio of tired city dwellers had enjoyed a stress-relieving day traipsing through a moss carpeted sylvan sanctuary that willingly yielded to soft virginal snow that softened our footfalls and recorded the tracks of snowshoe hare and deer unseen, but not before the enduring symphony of a tumbling Tunnel Creek filled our ears and offered a visual display of greens and browns, silver, orange, and black to treat our vision to nature's own music video as we crossed upon the back of a one-armed giant cut down to size. Ascending, we were soon met by tiny Karnes Lake and then the larger Harrison Lake, both eerily still in icy splendor. Faceless snow urged us ever onward and following a brief climb over hidden brush and rocks, we arrived at a small clearing beckoning we three to sit and partake of the unfolding vista. The calming serenity of the snow covered knob we rested upon presented Constance wearing a shawl of white lace, her presence dominating our ken. Far in the distance, a glimpse of the hood canal, a silver serpentine slithering beneath blues mixed with gray and purple upon the palette of a titan (perhaps Titian himself) unseen. The sun pushed with all her might against the graying veil of clouds to no avail as we feasted upon sensory delights and renewed our spirits. Soon, with regret for what must be abandoned, we returned whence we came but not without a lightness of step and a strengthened spirit that carried us home renewed and refreshed.