Over the weekend we headed out from Seattle to Yellow Aster Butte. The drive up took about two and a half hours from Northgate, with Lawrence kindly taking the wheel while the rest of us caught up and enjoyed the sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect hiking weather.
We hit the trail around late morning. The hike itself was gentle, only about three miles in, winding up to a basin dotted with small alpine lakes. By mid-afternoon we’d set up near one of the tarns, napped, and relaxed in the crisp mountain air.
As evening approached, we climbed up to the Butte itself for sunset. The view was stunning — the whole sky lit up in warm colors while we talked about everything from the future of the planet to the math of how many people the Earth could support if everyone lived at New York City density (apparently, just a Norway-sized space would do). Lawrence even pulled out a bit of whiskey at the summit, a thoughtful touch that made the moment feel celebratory.
Back at camp, we ate, laughed, and stayed up late with lighthearted “would you rather” questions and deeper conversations. It was one of those rare nights where the place, the people, and the timing all lined up perfectly.
We hit the trail around late morning. The hike itself was gentle, only about three miles in, winding up to a basin dotted with small alpine lakes. By mid-afternoon we’d set up near one of the tarns, napped, and relaxed in the crisp mountain air.
As evening approached, we climbed up to the Butte itself for sunset. The view was stunning — the whole sky lit up in warm colors while we talked about everything from the future of the planet to the math of how many people the Earth could support if everyone lived at New York City density (apparently, just a Norway-sized space would do). Lawrence even pulled out a bit of whiskey at the summit, a thoughtful touch that made the moment feel celebratory.
Back at camp, we ate, laughed, and stayed up late with lighthearted “would you rather” questions and deeper conversations. It was one of those rare nights where the place, the people, and the timing all lined up perfectly.
Leave a Reply