Wednesday, July 16, 2008

ABC Wednesday--Z



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Well, we have made it to Z, and each time I have posted photos from Mt. Rainier National Park I have thought afterwards of something else I could have posted for the letter, or found something different on our next trip to the park.
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That will not happen with Z.
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Until Saturday afternoon I had been dreading Z, pondering Z, meaning to ask someone, anyone at the park for a Z that I could post. Then on the way home on Saturday afternoon, it came to me! The perfect Z. In fact, two of them.
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Z is for zigzag and Z is for zero.
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Okay, Katney, those start with Z so how are you going to connect them?
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First ZIGZAG
The White River (as well as the Nisqually, the Carbon and others which are glacier-fed.) zigzag through their beds, changing their course within their banks as tumbling boulders and logs are deposited, blocking one channel and leading the waters to find another. They are sometimes called braided rivers.
Climber/skiers sometimes zigzag down the mountain from one area to another, as in this pattern seen from Nisqually Vista.

(In a similar fashion, many roads and hiking trails in the mountains will zigzag in switchbacks to make the climb more doable.)
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Now, ZERO
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After the thunderstorm described here, we prepared for the next night. Moving the small tents--which had dried out during the warm morning, into a clutch and covering them over with an extra tarp roof to keep them dry the next night. More thunderstorms were predicted.


Of course, the next night we had ZERO precipitation.
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At a campfire program at White River Campground, Summer Intern Justin showed and demonstrated the gear he uses for climbing, which is designed to keep him warm on the upper mountain and other places where the temperatures may dip to well below ZEROºF.

(Our own gear is designed to keep us toasty when it dips below ZEROºC. And, especially in our tiny trailer, we can sometimes get too warm at night.)

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The next morning, we found a group well prepared for both Zigzagging and zeroes.

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When ABC Wednesday begins its third season next week, I will leave Mt. Rainier--at least for the ABCs. You will have to wait till next week to see what new theme I will pick up, but if you want to guess, it is one of my other main interests.

39 comments:

Unknown said...

Perfect set of Z's Katney - love the zigzagging stream.

Gary
Bodge's Bulletin

Juliana said...

wonderful z series

Mine in here At My Imaginary. Thanks

Tom said...

Hi Katney
Great 'Z' post. I have yet to joining in with ABC's but might give it a go .
I called by to thank you for dropping by the New Sky Watch blog and leaving a comment. I have noticed your face in the comments before on many of the posts.
If you want tojoin in any time feelfree to do so.. we do not expect you or anyone to go visiting the 250+ others on there. If youvisit one or two then thats fine by me.
Thanks for commenting on my posts and for supporting Sky Watch by commenting there also
Tom

Kyanite said...

Well done!
What a clever way to end your Mt Rainer ABC tour, which I for one have enjoyed.

Liz Hinds said...

Lovely photos. Driving up a mountain last week I was reminded how brave people who ski are! It looks easy and fun but I am such a scaredy-cat! Those big mountains ...

CaBaCuRl said...

Wow, lots of zeds! You were well-prepared for today!

Rune Eide said...

You have got a lot of fantasy for devising Zs! I look forward to the next round.

Anonymous said...

Ingenious - very good. 'Z' is turning out a bunch of winners.

AphotoAday said...

Nice set of z's... I haven't been there for years, but thanks for taking me along to one of my favorite mountains...
Best regards, Don.

Jane Hards Photography said...

A great read as always, zig zagging through your text. Have zip over to your ohter blog as well.

Daryl said...

Zoooooo many Z's and all of them zensational .. LOL ...

The Lincoln Park Zoo is quite small but has some great exhibits especially for small children .. and us who are still kids at heart.

:-Daryl

Unknown said...

Cool. I cannot wait for next week and where you will take us.

I love camping, myself. But, we don't have any mountains around here to trek.

nonizamboni said...

Very interesting post and loved the snow photo--a welcome relief, if only in memory, from our heat.
Perhap you'll do 'quilting' next round?
Happy Wednesday!

Kim said...

You are so creative. I loved reading this post, both informative and easy on the eyes :)

Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate your tips on portrait photography :)

Rena said...

Your z thoughts are beautifully tied together.
I enjoyed your Yakima blog as well.

Unknown said...

Nice photos and very interesting Z post, Katney!

Rosebud said...

You do know how to make a gal jealous, don't you. I'd love to go for a 2 week camp out on that lovely mountain.
Great photos, and info. I really like the way you put it all together. Makes my Zenaidas kinda boring in comparison.

Dragonstar said...

Clever "Z" post Katney. I've loved learning about Mt Ranier and seeing the things you love.

Suburbia said...

Graet ideas for Z!

Gerald (SK14) said...

Hi Katney - thanks for dropping by my Old Hyde blog as often it gets only a few comments - love your Z post - I did Zig-zag on my photoblog Sithenah - which was a bit last-minute coming up with the idea for that one.

imac said...

Great set of zzzz post.

Barbara said...

Just perfect for Z, I always enjoy your photos from Mount Rainer.

Anonymous said...

Ilove your z's. The photos with the zigzag are wonderful. You were very clever with this post.

Kathy b

Bear Naked said...

Wonderful choices for ABC Wednesday Z.
Are you going to do Round #3?

Bear((( )))

me ann my camera said...

Hi Katney,
In response to a question you had asked about my posting of a Zebra butterfly as my 'Z' contribution and a Zebra Swallowtail posted by Nina. The Zebra Swallowtail is a different species from the Zebra butterfly that I have posted. The Zebra butterfly I have shown belongs to the Heliconian group and is usually only found in Florida and Texas. My photo was taken in Florida.
ann
nature tales

claude said...

Thanks for your visit and comment at my blog.
Nice post for Z.

mrsnesbitt said...

Ooooooooooooooooh can't wait to see what your theme will be Katney! I have started mine"in my head" LOL!

Paulie said...

Enjoyed the read about the zig zags and zeros but especially liked the snow photo of the zig zags down the mountain!

Maybe your next set will be all about your walk for cancer research?

VP said...

great Z's Katney!

No Zzzzzzzz's here :)

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Hi Katney, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.

Isn't zigzag a wonderful word! You found two perfect Z's for this post...and it wrote a very fun post to go with it.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comment on the zipline. We did it up in Canada a few weeks ago. I noted on your blog that you're in the yakima area. We're on the other side of the state but also enjoy trips to Mt. Rainier. Sunrise is a favorite! Although I find it difficult to breath up there, the beauty is so worth while.

Miss_Yves said...

Thanks for you comments!great z post!
My favourite photo is the zigzagging river!
Miss Yves

Maria Verivaki said...

i love the zig zag in the photo - it brought it out poignantly

becky aka theRAV said...

LOVE this post, Katney! No, I did not get chicken from Zaxby's but from Chick Fil-A! LOL

Anonymous said...

Great use of the letter Z. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting.

Cath said...

How did I miss this post? Sometimes I don't know where my head is!

This is one of your most colourful (text wise) and took a lot of effort I reckon! Excellent Zs, and linked with your theme too. I think you might do flowers, or books next time. But I'll wait and see.

And below 0°F?? Brrr!

I may follow your lead if you don't mine (and I am brave enough) and do a theme for round 3.
Great post.

Nydia said...

You came out with a good solution for the Z post challenge! I'd love to camp by this zigzagging stream! :)
Kisses from Nydia.

Mrs Mac said...

Oooo those zig zags are brilliant!!!

Marites said...

Seeing your pictures made me miss my mountain climbing adventures:) sure wish i can do it once more.