early wednesday morning
awake and unsure where I am
start to step out of bed
discover it is
just a mattress
remember now
4200 feet up to Mt. Adams
Crag Camp
a cabin
at the edge of
King's Ravine
the edge of beauty
see watch on floor
six a.m.
pull on shirt and pants
find shoes
step outside onto porch
silky air
silence
sky surrounds
muted light and color
blueish-gray, yellow-white
mountains against
the distant skyline
rocks above me
brown, grey, green
precious in their simplicity
their constancy
perfectly formed
I want to put out my hand
and grab a mountain peak
look
be still in this
panorama
walk over slowly
to slab lookout
gaze down into the green abyss
of King's Ravine
jagged rock peers out
from its depths
sharp contrast
demands respect
inhale and breathe deeply
two hawks glide into ravine
suspended in air
they own
I look for Randolph homes
but they have disappeared
in the valley below
lakes emerge
still
no
low-lying fog
creates this
water mirage
but still
silent
the world sleeps
but not me
mountain peace
Dana Snyder-Grant
is a social worker and a freelance writer. She lives in Acton,
Massachusetts with her husband, Jim Snyder-Grant, a caretaker
at Gray Knob in 1977 and Crag Camp in 1978. She has been a regular
visitor to Randolph since marrying Jim in 1990.
early wednesday morning