Precious Gems of Turquoise and Sapphire

Above the stifling morass of a dreary, bug-infested forest, in the cool, uncluttered, wild-flowered atmosphere of Heaven on earth, lies not one, but two, alpine pool gems. One is sapphire, hemmed by a fiery crown of ragged ridge-line, the other turquoise, cupped in the bosom of a glacial cirque. So beautiful are they that neither Frost nor Yeats could ne'er pay them their due in verse. At least, I will fail in good company.
 
It would be our third arduous outing in as many days; back to back to back. It's easy to feel pressured this time of year, scurrying around, checking off favorite gardens one by one before blossoms go to seed and closes the greatest show on earth. So we hike and climb and scramble, chasing "Eden's Garden," the "Holy Grail," alas, the "Last Supper."

It is a bountiful year. Bobbie stands eye to eye with deep-purple delphiniums, and toe to toe with rainbows of fluorescent paint brush.

Along the way, I am reminded that we are not the only ones scurrying around... 

Creeks have settled down. Most of the alpine snow has melted and is well on its way to the Pacific Blue. 

We are distracted from our climb by trailside attractions, forced to pause and admire and photograph. This "show" is like any good movie; it never gets old no matter how many times you've seen it.

And then Ice Lake comes along with its radiant sapphire blue, and blows your fucking mind...

It's times like these when my agnostic cynicism grows weak in the knees... Have mercy, there must be a God! 

Then I remember all the unfortunate children in the world, how they suffer and die from disease and poverty and the greed of war, and I think, Alas, there is no God. By definition, only a monster would allow a single child to suffer and die.  

 So the dilemma is, at least for me, who does one thank for the luck of a draw such as this, my beautiful, beautiful world? How did my "dart" land here in the "bullseye" of paradise and relative wealth, while others land in the cesspool of barrenness and poverty? 

 Yes, in places like this I am prone to have this discussion all over again... and arrive at the same empty, dead end as always and accept that, Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die. (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

From sapphire to turquoise... On to Island Lake. 

 She wants to jump in, but is hesitant. She has the waterproof "Go Pro" on a "Selfie Stick," but can't seem to jump. I encourage her :)

 Finally she jumps into a sapphire pool that reflects the sky.
Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die...