FantELKstic!

And they just ran.

For twenty-one months, I've been searching, and this weekend, it came to an end. My eyes can now rest.

I have traveled to the likes of the magnificent Mt. St. Helens, browsing the hills and valleys. I have became close acquaintances with the tranquil back roads of the rain-soaked Olympic peninsula. I have trekked between the nebulous peaks of the Cascade mountains, and I have slept alongside the same trees and forests they call home. This weekend, I saw a family of elk.

I walked up an abandoned logging trail in the foothills of the Cascades. My goal was to reach the the top of a nearby hill where there sat the remains of an old CCC camp. I wanted photos of half-century old pickup trucks and a cabin filled with history. However, a few turns before the camp was reached, we spooked the mammals. A mother and a couple babies were likely alarmed by our presence, and ran from us for safer grounds. It was a quick glimpse, but for me, what was expected to be more than a long-shot on this hot, sunny afternoon, turned into one of my greater accomplishment. I SAW elk.