09/14/2008: "Afternoon on a Hill"

Yesterday Aaron and I took the tram (we have a season pass) up Mt. Roberts for a hike. The tram takes you about half way up, and there are trails to go up the rest of the way. The colors were gorgeous, we took around 260 of them! The ones below are a sample, though it was really hard to pick only a few, as there were so many incredible scenes up there. I'm going to use these for some new paintings. It was very inspirational.

mount-roberts-juneau-4hikin (236k image)

mount-roberts-hike-july-cha (138k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-hike-3 (201k image)

mount-roberts-hike-july-big (150k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-hike-r (233k image)

mount-roberts-hike-july-gra (140k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-hike-5 (187k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-hike-9 (213k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-6hikin (130k image)

mount-roberts-juneau-hike-7 (243k image)

Afternoon on a Hill
Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892-1950

I WILL be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!

Replies: 6 Comments

on Sunday, September 14th, westpalm_girl@yahoo.com">Meri said

wow I am so jealous. You live in absolute beauty!
Meri

on Sunday, September 14th, DHT said

The colors and compositions are beautiful! Makes me miss home... ;)

on Sunday, September 14th, Elise said

Aaron and I both love to take photographs...but it makes it hard for us to make a lot of progress on hikes as one or the other or us constantly has to stop to take a shot!
:P

on Monday, September 15th, Kasia said

Lucky you! Alaska is a place where God really showed his talent!

on Tuesday, September 16th, AL said

What Kasai said! That's some beautiful scenery you have there!(Can you see Russia from there? lol) Do you have to be on the look out for bears when you're up there? And where did you find that poem?

on Tuesday, September 16th, Elise said

I do feel sooooo lucky Kasia, I have to remind myself sometimes when it's been raining for weeks...just how special this place is.

And Al, I can't see Russia from there, too foggy. Damn, guess I can't be vice president now!
;)
When I'm outside, I'm always on the look out for bears! It's just a lot easier to see them coming up out of the tree line.

I first heard "Afternoon on a Hill" at a poetry reading and I loved it. Later my best girlfriend from college bought me a book of her poems (Edna St. Vincent Millay 1892-1950). It's become one of my favorites!

I think about the poem a lot when I'm out hiking.