#marmot pass

[orofeaiel]

Peaceful, until a marmot started screaming its head off and did not stop!

[photo-biont]

[harshr]

Various scenes from Boulder Ridge/Marmot Pass

[hi-sierra]

Okay okay I'm behind on posting about my various adventures this summer, but let's just skip a few for now bc I wanna post about my most recent one:

Glenn Pass. 12,000 feet of elevation.

Kings Canyon is one of several glacially carved granite valleys in the Sierra Nevada. Several other, smaller valleys feed into it, including the paradise valley and Bubbs creek.

The Rae Lakes loop is a short but brutal route that starts at the floor of King's canyon, takes you up one of those side valleys, over the crest of the High Sierra, and down another valley.

To get across that divide, you have to cross the notorious Glenn Pass. Not only is this the highest point on the Rae lakes loop, it's also one of the highest points on several massive through hikes, including the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.

Now. The JMT and PCT people may have it rougher than me overall due to the sheer length of those hikes.

But.

Their campsites for the previous days are around 10,000 feet of elevation.

I made the BRILLIANT decision to hike from 7,500 feet, 10 miles up and over Glenn pass at 12k feet, and then down to upper Rae lake in one day. It may have been the single most physically challenging day of my goddamn life.

But holy shit, it was it worth it.

This route absolutely floored me. My original intention here was just that this was my "final check" for the High Sierra trail- in terms of difficulty and conditions, it's basically identical, except half the length. I packed as if I was doing the HST, and used less than a third of my consumable stuff, so I feel more than ready for it.

I was expecting it to be pretty, but I was not expecting it to be one of the most gorgeous couple days of my life. Yosemite can suck it. The granite valleys and cliffs of Kings Canyon and the paradise valley are my new favorite glacial valley in the Sierras.

And that's not even mentioning the wildlife! I mostly recorded video of them, but I saw bears, deer, rattlesnakes, mountain kingsnakes, pikas, marmots, tons of different birds, and more that I'm probably forgetting! If there's any interest, I might start posting the videos I've taken of me talking to wildlife lol

[anonymousewrites]

One Hell of a Love (Book 1) Chapter Two

Sebastian Michaelis x Demon! Reader

Chapter Two: One Hell of a Rat

Summary: Sebastian and (Y/N) handle a crook kidnapping Ciel.

            “It seems we have a rat problem,” said (Y/N) as they and Sebastian passed by Finny, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy running around like maniacs.

            “I’m sure that if you went after it, the issue would be solved quickly,” said Sebastian with a smirk.

            (Y/N)’s nose twitched at the tease.

            Sebastian smirked as he opened the door to the parlor. Ciel and his guests looked up as the maid and butler stepped inside with a cart of tea.

            “Today, we have prepared some Fortnum and Mason’s Darjeeling tea,” declared Sebastian as (Y/N) carefully poured.

            “What a wonderful scent,” said Lau, Ran-Mao sitting on his lap and nodding silently. “When it is properly prepared, there’s no comparison.”

            “Grell!” called Madame Red.

            “Y-Yes?” exclaimed Grell, stiffening.

            “Watch and learn,” said Madame Red, nodding to (Y/N) and Sebastian. “In any case…you really are fine servants!” She patted Sebastian’s rear and moved for (Y/N), but they were quick to sidestep (they were a cat that preferred the “look don’t touch” policy). “Why don’t you stop serving at a manor house and come to work with us?”

            Ciel coughed after regaining his composure. “Madame Red!”

            “Oh, my! Pardon me!” chuckled Madame Red. “I started kneading them without realizing it! Doctor’s habits!” Ciel’s irk mark appeared.

            “Is it true that one of your previous guests was in the smuggling trade?” asked Lau.

            “Yes,” replied Ciel.

            “You should have left the extermination to me,” said Lau pleasantly.

            “No one knows where a rat nests better than a rat,” said Madame Red.

            Lau raised a hand “innocently.” “I’m a domesticated marmot. If it is the Earl’s order, then I shall do the dirty work.” He ruffled Ciel’s hair.

            “Don’t you dare try to lay a finger on my precious nephew!” cried Madame Red, dragging Ciel into her own arms.

            “Oh, my! There’s no way I’d try to lay a finger on him in his own home,” said Lau.

            “Are you saying that you’d do it somewhere else?!” shouted Madame Red, affronted. “That is quite the criminal proposal. How dare you!”

            As she berated Lau, Ciel sighed in exhaustion at their antics and walked out of the room. Sebastian and (Y/N) followed dutifully.

            “Young Master, today we have prepared an apple and raisin deep pie,” said Sebastian. “It has almost finished baking, so please stay with the other guests.”

            “Bring it to my room,” said Ciel. “I’ve had enough socializing.”

            “As you wish,” said Sebastian.

            “Very well,” said (Y/N) as Ciel turned once more and left.

            As they stood there, the rest of the servants, dressed in cat costumes and carrying mousetraps, ran around them. Sebastian looked at (Y/N) and raised an eyebrow.

            “I do believe a rat calls for a cat to catch it,” said Sebastian with a smirk.

            (Y/N)’s nose twitched before they dove to the side and rolled to their feet. In their hands they held two dead rats, caught expertly. “I guess it did,” they said with a pleased smile, dropping the rats into Baldroy’s net.

            Sebastian smirked before leveling a look at the rest of the surprised servants. “All of you, please stop playing around and do your jobs.”

            “Yes, sir,” they said. They nodded hurriedly and ran away to their assigned jobs for the day.

            “(Y/N),” said Sebastian.

            “Yes?” They glanced up at him.

            Sebastian took their arm. “You got blood on your gloves,” he said as he pulled the glove from their hand. “Unbecoming for a Phantomhive maid.” He flourished a clean glove and slipped it onto (Y/N)’s hand.

            They looked at him and furrowed their brow. “I’m perfectly capable of keeping my uniform neat.”

            “Well, what type of butler would I be if I didn’t have an extra pair of gloves on hand?” questioned Sebastian. “This was simply more efficient.”

            (Y/N) shrugged, used to Sebastian by now, and pulled their hand back. They were not as averse to his touch as they were others’, but that was only after years of knowing him, and even then, it wasn’t…normal.

            “Let’s get the Lord’s tea, then,” said (Y/N), turning away.

            “Yes, let’s,” said Sebastian, leading the way to the kitchen with a slight frown on his face.

l

            “Young Master, we have brought you your afternoon tea,” said Sebastian, knocking on Ciel’s office door. When he received no answer, he pushed the door open. “Young Master?”

            The floor of the study was littered with throw papers, books, and chairs. There had been a struggle.

            “Ah, what a predicament. The tea will all go to waste now,” sighed Sebastian.

            (Y/N) held out their hand. “I think you should give me that bloody glove back. I have a feeling it will be getting dirtier before the day is up.”

            Sebastian smirked as he held out the glove. Yes, indeed, this was the demon he trained. Efficient and deadly.

            And lively, came the unbidden thought, always has been awfully spirited for a demon.

            Now that was a thought Sebastian hadn’t had for a long time. At least, not since he and (Y/N) parted ways last time.

            Luckily, before Sebastian had to deal with any more troublesome thoughts, Mey-Rin came running down the hall.

            “Sebastian! (Y/N)! This letter just arrived at the entrance,” said Mey-Rin.

            “To whom is it addressed?” asked Sebastian.

            “To the attendant of Ciel Phantomhive,” said Mey-Rin.

            (Y/N)’s eyes flashed as they glanced outside and saw the sniper, horribly hidden from their demonic eyes, in the tree. “Sebastian.”

            He understood, and as Mey-Rin tripped, he caught her while (Y/N) took the pie so both were preserved as a bullet ripped through the window beside them. (Y/N) crouched to the side with the pie balanced in their hands, and Sebastian lay on his back with Mey-Rin on top of him.

            “Mey-Rin, the letter,” said Sebastian calmly.

            Beet red, Mey-Rin stammered, “Ah, y-yes!” She handed it over as Sebastian set her back on her feet.

            “If you want your master to be returned, bring ‘the item’ to Bethnal Green’s Nova Scotia Gardens,” read Sebastian. “This is a somewhat inelegant invitation.”

            “I think it qualifies as a ransom letter,” said (Y/N).

            “Sebastian, (Y/N)!” said Finny, appearing beside Baldroy worriedly.

            “Just what is going on here?” declared Madame Red, walking into the hall with Lau.

            “We apologize for the noise,” said (Y/N).

            “It’s nothing,” said Sebastian with a smile. “Please do not worry.”

            “Nothing?” Madame Red looked at the broken window, unimpressed.

            “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but could you please take care of cleaning up?” asked Sebastian, looking to Baldroy and Finny.

            (Y/N) handed over the pie to them. “Take care of this.” They walked past them with Sebastian.

            “By ‘take care of this,’ do you mean it’s alright to eat this?” asked Baldroy excitedly.

            (Y/N) smiled to themself as they walked away. They’d let them figure it out.

            “So, after the trespassers?” asked (Y/N), tugging at their gloves once more.

            “I can hear their car leaving. How rude, they never even called on us properly,” said Sebastian. He smirked as he ran after them with (Y/N) by his side.

            The assassins screamed when they saw (Y/N) and Sebastian catching up to them, but as much as they swerved to avoid them, they couldn’t. (Y/N) smirked as the rats screamed. They pounced.

            Kicking the driver away from his seat, (Y/N) pulled the car to a jolting stop, half off a cliff, and while the men cried out in fear and babbled for help into their phone, they just grinned back in satisfaction as Sebastian balance them off the cliff as he crouched on the front.

            “I think this is for you,” said (Y/N) with a smile, handing the phone to him.

            “Thank you,” said Sebastian. “Good day,” he said into the receiver. “I am one of the Phantomhive servants. I was just wondering if our young master had been intruding upon you? Hello? Is that the case?”

            “Woof,” said Ciel across the phone.

            “Understood,” said Sebastian. “We shall come and collect him immediately.” He handed the phone back to (Y/N), who passed it to the men. “Thank you for allowing me to borrow this.”

            “Very kind of you,” said (Y/N) with a faux smile.

            “We also have two or three things to enquire about,” said Sebastian. “Firstly, what is the name of your owners?”

            “I’d suggest answering, we’re not very patient,” said (Y/N), smiling. “And you wouldn’t want to fall, would you?” The men’s scared faces made (Y/N) smile wider. Rats like them were fun to play with before they died.

            “It’s Azzurro Venere of the Ferro family!” said one man, panicked. “His base of operations is in the northern part of East London!”

            “Thank you,” chirped (Y/N), standing up. Sebastian extended a hand, and (Y/N) took it to stand on the bonnet of the car.

            “Wait! We were just hired hands!” cried the other man.

            “Oh, is that so?” remarked Sebastian. He gave a closed-eye smile. “I’m sorry I held you up when you were so busy, then. We’ll let you go one.”

            The two demons hopped back off the car. They watched as the men fell to their deaths in the forest below. (Y/N) looked at Sebastian, who was consulting his pocket watch.

            “We’d better hurry up,” he decided, “or dinner will be delayed.”

            “I’m glad I’m wearing my dirty gloves, then. I might get more blood on them,” said (Y/N) with a bright smile as if they weren’t planning on ripping anyone they came across apart.

            Sebastian smirked. Yes, it was good to be working with them once more.

l

            Sebastian and (Y/N) jumped over the gate and assembled men before they could even be glimpsed. The mercenaries were foolish enough to believe they had successfully locked down the mansion. Of course, no one could fault them too much. They had no idea what they were dealing with.

            “My, what a splendid mansion,” said Sebastian.

            “Not to my taste. It has a rat problem,” said (Y/N).

            The mercenaries turned in shock. “Who the hell are you?!” Weapons were raised at the two demons.

            “I beg your pardon. We serve the Phantomhive household,” said Sebastian.

            “And we have a job to do,” said (Y/N).

            They moved an instant later. Sebastian and (Y/N) were merciless, tearing through bones and clothes and skin until blood flew and men laid limp on the ground. Sure enough, (Y/N)’s gloves were staining red.

            “Pardon us, we’re in a bit of a hurry,” said Sebastian to the fallen men. He sighed. “5:34 pm.”

            (Y/N) pushed open the door and walked into the mansion. “We should get to the Lord soon, then.”

            “Indeed,” said Sebastian, entering alongside them.

            Instantly, snipers began shooting. Sebastian blocked with the pie platter he still had, and (Y/N) dodged with a handspring and a twist in the air. While Sebastian ran down the dining room table and frisbee-d the platter to take down several men, (Y/N) gathered up plates and sent them flying into snipers.

            “With all these rats scattering everywhere, there will be no end to this,” sighed Sebastian.

            “Let’s speed this up, then,” said (Y/N) with a grin, pulling silver knives from their pockets.

            “It appears you brought some claws,” said Sebastian with a smirk as he brought out silver forks.

            “You’re really enjoying the cat jokes today,” said (Y/N), nose twitching. They jumped into the air and sent the knives into the throats of several snipers while Sebastian’s forks impaled others.

            “It keeps me entertained,” said Sebastian, turning on the reinforcements and beginning to thin the masses.

            “A millennium and it never changes,” pouted (Y/N) as they stabbed a man behind them before whirling on the rest and attacking before they had a moment to think.

            Sebastian smirked. (Y/N)’s reactions to his teasing were even more catlike than their usual characteristics. That was partly why the jokes were so amusing to him.

            “5:43,” he said. “We keep moving.”

            “Judging by the layout of this mansion, the office is likely that way,” said (Y/N), nodding.

            “Then the Master will be there,” said Sebastian.

            The demons carefully opened the door. Azzurro stared at them with shock, but his gun didn’t move from being trained at their chests.

            “I have come to collect my Master,” said Sebastian, bowing.

            “Huh. I’m surprised,” said Azzurro, his gun dropping slightly. “Here I was wondering what kind of monsters would appear, and it’s just Romeo and Juliet in a tailcoat and apron? Just what are you? You aren’t just any butler and maid, are you?”

            “No. I am one hell of a butler,” said Sebastian with a smirk.

            A sinister grin split (Y/N)’s face at his quip. They shrugged. “I’m just here to have some fun.”

            “I see…At any rate, I have no intention of going at it with you,” said Azzurro. “But you know…” He dragged Ciel to hit and pressed the muzzle of his gun to the boy’s head. “You brought the item, right?”

            “Yes. Right here.” Sebastian removed a golden key from his breast pocket.

            Bang!

            He was immediately shot through the head and fell. Flecks of blood landed on (Y/N), who just looked down at Sebastian after the rest of the shots rocketed through him.

            Azzurro cackled. “Sorry, Romeo. Looks like I win this game! The opponent was a master of games, but I had an ace up my sleeve. Now all that’s left is Juliet and the brat.” He knocked away Ciel’s eyepatch as he cackled.

            (Y/N) put their hands on their hips. “I thought you used to teach me melodramatics were unnecessary.”

            “Sometimes a little fun is necessary.”

            Azzurro’s eyes widened as Sebastian spoke. “Th-that’s impossible!”

            The other men stepped back in horror.

            “Modern guns really have improved.” Sebastian lifted himself off the floor. “They are completely different from those of a hundred years ago.” With a bloody cough, Sebastian spat the bullets out of his body onto his hand. He smirked. “I shall return these to you.”

            “What are you doing?! Kill him!” shouted Azzurro.

            The men raised their guns again, but Sebastian flicked his wrist first. The bullets he held fired through the mercenaries, and they dropped like flies.

            “Oh, dear, my clothes are all full of holes,” sighed Sebastian.

            “I guess we have to replace more than just our gloves,” said (Y/N).

            “It’s because you were playing around,” scoffed Ciel.

            “Young Master, they don’t appear to have treated you very well,” said Sebastian. He took a step forward towards Azzurro and Ciel.

            “Don’t come any closer!” shouted Azzurro.

            “You look like a caterpillar, at once both disgusting and splendid,” said Sebastian, teasing Ciel once more. “It quite fits your small, weak stature.”

            “I-If you get any closer, I’ll shoot him!” cried Azzurro.

            “Hurry up. His breath stinks,” said Ciel, unconcerned.

            “If I get any closer, you’ll be killed,” said Sebastian, just playing around.

            “You bastard. Are you trying to break the contract?” questioned Ciel.

            “By no means. I am your loyal servant, after all,” said Sebastian.

            “My Lord, he has a tendency towards some dramatics,” said (Y/N).

            “What the hell are you three talking about?!” cried Azzurro.

            “Young Master…I told you what to do if I ever disregard my duty, did I not?” said Sebastian, a darkly cunning look on his face.

            Ciel’s eye opened to reveal his contract seal. “This is an order! Save me this instant!”

            “Shut up!” cried Azzurro in a panic.

            Bang!

            Ciel turned to face him, completely unfazed.

            “Why didn’t he die?” gasped Azzurro.

            “Is this what you’re looking for?” Sebastian stood over Azzurro, a bullet in between two fingers. “I shall return it to you.” He dropped it into Azzurro’s pocket and then snapped Azzurro’s arm.

            “The game wasn’t fun this time,” muttered Ciel as Sebastian picked him up.

            “Hey! You! Wait!” cried Azzurro. “Come and be my bodyguards! I’ll give you five, no, ten times the pay he’s giving you. I’ll give you all the women and alcohol you want, so please…”

            (Y/N) raised an eyebrow and sneered. “I hate rats like you, constantly climbing on top of others for your greed.” Mortals who cruelly used and abused one another were (Y/N)’s least favorite kind.

            Sebastian snapped the belts holding Ciel hostage. “I’m sorry, Signore Venere, but I have no interest in the waste made by man. I am a demon and a butler, after all.” His eyes lit up fuchsia.

            “A-A demon?!” cried Azzurro.

            “Demon,” said (Y/N), their own eyes turning more catlike and fuchsia.

            Sebastian’s shadow began to elongate around the room, and black feathers danced in the air as he stared at Azzurro. “By the key of the contract my young master holds, I am but his loyal dog.” He pulled his glove off with his teeth. “Through sacrifice and wishes, I am to abide by the contract and be bound to my master.” He held up his hand, branded with the contract seal. “This, in exchange for his soul.” Azzurro stared, horror-stricken.

            “Sorry, but this game is over,” said Ciel.

            Azzurro screamed as Sebastian descended upon him. A moment later, there was nothing left of him to attempt to scream. Sebastian smirked as the shadows receded back to him and his eyes went to normal.

            (Y/N)’s fuchsia eyes faded, but they were aware of how Sebastian’s demonic presence swirled around them for a moment. They glanced at Sebastian, wondering if this was his direction. No, he was focused on Ciel. (Y/N) shrugged, ignoring the shadow reaching up to touch them for a moment. They were not getting more attached to Sebastian.

Taglist:

@technikerin23

@im-making-an-effort

@izzieg3987

@jinxxangel13

@alexpangender

@otomyoli

[beholdthemem]

Once upon a time at 5 in the morning I needed some kind of justification for Why Chrissy Is Alive In This Fic, and I didn't have the energy to actually come up with something well thought out, so The Dumbest AU Possible was born, and I have to admit it has earned a permanent place in my heart.

So. AU wherein Chrissy chickened out from buying something stronger from Eddie and just took the weed... which inadvertently ends up saving her.

Part of Vecna's whole deal is that he preys on traumatized people because their negative emotions/energy/general self hatred allows him to hurt them after projecting himself into their heads or whatever. But when Chrissy smokes for the first time, the weed does what Ms. Kelly could not and Chills Her The Fuck Out enough that she actually feels... pretty okay, emotionally speaking?

So Vecna can get in her head and all, but because she's not currently emotionally vulnerable, he can't do anything.

He's just, like.

There.

He start'll with his clock bullshit, and Chrissy's like "Oh God, oh fuck, I know that sound, time to toke up-" so she'll end up in his Hallucination Hellscape, but stoned enough that she's not actually distressed by it. She has a vague sense that maybe she should be, but whatever. Not her problem right now~

She just sits there for the entire experience while Vecna stands over her, seething, because he can't scare her enough to do shit. He can't even be like "You're losing your mind, ooooooh~' because Chrissy (knowing jack squat about recreational drugs) just assumes weed makes you see weird shit. She thinks of Vecna as The Weed Man, and he hates it so much.

"You are. Hard to look at," she tells him with difficulty, forcing herself to focus on his face.

The Weed Man looks as though he's passing a small marmot through one of his kidneys.

"It's." Chrissy can feel her eyes glaze over as she puts all available focus into remembering each word she wants. "It's like. A really old avocado..." God, an avocado sounds so fucking good right now. "A really old avocado. Had sex with an even older avocado."

The Weed Man looks as though the marmot has changed course and decided to instead make a break for freedom through his small intestine.

[elucubrare]

Give me your arms, she said. “No,” I told her. I knew that she could use them - I’d felt it a hundred times in the last month. Her little habits taking over mine: the urge to pick a passing leaf and twist it in my fingers then tear it, which I’d never had. A real desire to run, for the delight of it. Please, she said. It was the first time she’d asked and not commanded. “Why?” I want to — she broke off, but I could hear, or feel, or know the rest of it. She wanted to loose an arrow, for the first time in four hundred years. To feel the tension of the bowstring transfer through her - through my - shoulders. There was no greater plan to it, only an almost childlike want. “All right,” I said. I — stepped aside, maybe. Gave up control for a second, certainly, and I felt her step into the space I’d left her. The steppe we rode though changed. I’d seen gray-green grass and low shrubs, flat country with no landmarks, under a low gray sky. Now I saw the irso grass, which was good for weaving, and spiky tarin, which, chewed, would keep you awake, and dozens of other plants, all distinct. I saw too where the one gave into another, and knew that it meant the ground underneath was different. There were marmot holes, and fox dens, and voles running through the grass. The sky was low and cloudy, which meant it would be warm that night, or at least as warm as the steppes ever were. It was beautiful. It was — home.

[boltupbitches]

The Great Outdoors

A week in the great outdoors sounded idealistic until reality set in. Hiking didn’t just mean scenic views and fresh air. It also meant insects, mud, sweat, dirt somehow getting into unimaginable places, poison oak and poison ivy, and the possibility of getting lost on a trail and being eaten by a brown bear or mountain lion. 

Maria didn’t know which possibility would be worse of the latter, but she knew she had to suck it up for Justin’s sake. Her boyfriend was beyond excited to bring her to Oregon, particularly Eugene, to meet his family and close friends. Justin spoke so highly of the nature trails and parks that littered the region. She didn’t have the heart to tell him she wasn’t the outdoorsy type. 

The morning of the hike, Justin had taken her to one of his favorite diners he went to as a kid. They laughed and talked over stacks of pancakes and bacon as the waiter attempted to ply them with refills of water and orange juice. Justin was well-known around here - that was a given. The older waitress (Peggy was her name) doted on him as if he were her own son.

“I’m so glad you all stopped by here. It’s always good to see you, Justin. Please tell your mom I said ‘hello’. I’m sure she’s happy you brought such a beautiful girl home with you.” 

Maria couldn’t stop grinning at the exchange as Justin’s face flushed beet red with embarrassment.

“I’ll let her know you said ‘hi’, Peggy.” He handed her a folded $100 bill with a small smile as the older woman gave him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and turned to wink at Maria.

“Great meeting you, dear. Keep him out of trouble!” She jokingly cautioned as she set off to her other table that just had people seated with menus. 

Maria thought about that exchange as she struggled up the path Justin decided on. He was lucky she loved him so much to be in this current predicament. Her legs were not as long as his so Justin had to slow down anytime he picked up pace unconsciously. He didn’t complain at all.  She also was sure she could no longer feel her calves from the last mile they walked. Being eaten by bears or mountain lions was starting to sound better with each passing minute.

Don’t even get her started on the insane amount of gear they were carrying because Justin was a meticulous man who was prepared for anything. That included a bandana he packed for each of them.

She mistakenly assumed it was for if they sweat too much.

Justin just grinned and said, “Nope. It’s what we’ll use in place of toilet paper.” He held up the plastic back labeled ‘waste’. “We’ll put the rags in here when we’re done.”

“Oh.” She almost gagged, “That’s… that’s convenient.”

Maria didn’t consider herself a high-maintenance girl. Not by a long shot. But as someone who grew up in urban spaces her whole life, this was extremely out of her comfort level and understanding. She was just thankful Justin didn’t make fun of her novice information on the great outdoors. If anything he was like an eager boy scout, eager to point out everything he knew. 

Even in her miserable state, she couldn’t bear to snap at him when he stopped them to observe a yellow-bellied marmot that was scaling around a large rock, likely trying to find its burrow to return to.

When they reached a clearing on a cliff, he finally declared it was time for a rest and some lunch. Maria almost cried out “thank God” as she dropped her bag next to her as she leaned in exhaustion against a rock.

Justin was drinking from his huge canteen as he observed his exhausted girlfriend. She was digging the beef jerky from her bag as she ate ravenously, not even caring about manners in that moment. “Thanks for coming out here with me,” he said softly, his eyes shining with happiness at the sight of her. “Honestly, it means a lot to me. I know it’s out of your comfort level but you’ve been a huge champ.”

Maria smiled after gulping down the mouthful of chewed jerky. “Of course. It meant a lot to you. I wanted to spend the day doing what you wanted to do with being back home.”

Justin walked over to her and leaned down to press a kiss against her lips, not at all minding the salty and savory taste of beef jerky on her lips. He leaned back and pressed one more kiss to her sweaty forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She hummed back with her own matching smile.

They set about eating their lunch and quietly taking in the beautiful scenery around them. This is what Maria had in mind for a hike. She was glad to at least get this view. It was ethereal. It was beautiful. She felt like she was in heaven. 

To be away from the constant noise of civilization and to just hear the beautiful noises of the breeze moving through the trees, the luscious grass gently dancing in that same breeze, and the sunlight spilling through as it encroached on shadowy spaces underneath the towering trees.

Justin put his arm around her and pulled her into him as he pressed another kiss to her temple. “I wish I could stay here forever with you.” He murmured against her ear.

“Me too…” She thought for a moment, “Well, maybe just right here the walk back will be hell and I am afraid of half the things that live in the forest here.” She admitted.

Justin laughed at that and said, “I figured. You’ve been a frazzled mess since we started this hike. I was so concerned you were going to pitch yourself off the nearest cliff if we hadn’t made it to the clearing when we did.”

“Glad my misery amuses you,” She said flatly.

“It does.” He grins as he lets her smack him in the stomach, barely feeling it. “But your happiness makes me happy too.”

She ‘hmphed’ at him and pretended to pout. 

Justin just looked at her in amusement. “Wait until we go on a hike again tomorrow! More altitude and better views.” He was egging her on.

She took the bait. “Absolutely not! I’ll stay home with your mom instead.”

“Awww don’t be like that.” He urged. “It’s good exercise.”

“So is a treadmill on fat burn mode. I’m good. If the trail isn’t flat, I’m not interested. I’d rather let a bear eat me out here.”

“Dramatic.”

“I am - you knew that when you got with me, Mr. Social Media Quarterback.”

“Love you too, Maria.”

Maria couldn’t help but smile and notice how carefree Justin was now that he was back home. It was refreshing. The tenseness he usually carried in LA during the regular season was a lot that he shouldered. Here? He was just Justin Herbert, a man who loved football and the outdoors. Someone who tipped waitresses generously at small diners he grew up patroning. A man who was a walking encyclopedia of flora and fauna knowledge as he quietly pointed out each animal and plant they passed.

He was so endearing and everything she ever wanted in a man. She felt so lucky he trusted her enough to show her this part of him, the real him. As she looked at him, admiring the freckles on his face, she knew he was someone she could see herself spending the rest of her life with. Even if it meant going on the occasional hike to see this side of him.

[mountrainiernps]

What is your Thanksgiving style? Do you reach for your favorites like a marmot with no time to waste or wait politely for the dishes to be passed? 

No matter your approach, wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Mount Rainier National Park! 

NPS Video of a hoary marmot leaning against a small Sitka mountain ash branch to reach for leaves to eat. ~kl

[rabbitcruiser]

Jasper National Park, AB (No. 7)

Attractions that can easily be reached by road include the Mount Edith Cavell hiking area, Maligne Lake (which features hiking and boating opportunities), Maligne Canyon, Miette Hot Springs, Pyramid Lake, the Jasper Skytram and the Athabasca Glacier, (an outlet glacier of the Columbia Icefield which features snow coach tours). The Marmot Basin ski area is the most popular winter attraction in the park.

Common summer recreational activities in the park include hiking, fishing, mountain biking (in select areas), wildlife viewing, rafting, kayaking and camping. Winter activities include Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Some companies offer dog sled tours in the park.

Only a small fraction of the parks area is road accessible. The rest forms a large backcountry area which is largely only accessible by trail. Large areas of the backcountry are rarely visited as many areas' trails are poorly maintained or non existent. Access into the backcountry is most often accomplished by backpacking or horseback and in rare cases kayak or raft. Popular backcountry trips include the Tonquin Valley, the Skyline Trail, Jones Pass, Jacques Lake and the Fryatt Valley. The remote North Boundary Trail which provided access to the north half of the park is a multiweek backpacking trip. Canoe and kayaking access to the backcountry can be achieved on Maligne Lake.

Source: Wikipedia

[orofeaiel]

Marmot Pass living up to its name as always!

[photo-biont]

[fitnessgeekandcoffeefreak]

Sahale Glacier (via Cascade Pass)

This is one of the top 3 rated hikes in Washington State, and some say it's actually #1. I haven't hiked all the mountains so I guess I can't say, but it was the most gorgeous place I have ever hiked. Nothing went as planned. Permits weren't available for the glacier camp so we decided to day hike the entire thing. . .

14 miles (there and back) and almost 5,000 ft elevation gain. Some spots were well over 1K ft elevation gain in less than a mile. It was, by far, the most difficult hike I've finished according to stats, but I felt good. My back was definitely done, but I felt like my body handled it very well.

I had a list of animals I wanted to see along the way and I saw most of them! The goats were amazing! The marmots are so interesting to watch. My hiking friend was at the front of us and he saw a baby black bear cub scurry off into the grass, but I missed it. (That would've completed my list!)

Trips like this always remind me how ridiculous all of our problems truly are. You only objective is to finish and survive, really. To enjoy the things around you and really be living in the moment. The mountains are SO big and beautiful and, just, amazing. I do wish I would've taken a few more pictures, but honestly, I was really trying to be fully engaged in the experience.

[harshr]

In no particular order: Marmot Pass / Boulder Ridge / Tunnel Creek / Valhalla Peak Quilcene Watershed, Olympic Peninsula

[whumble-beeee]

There is a certain adorable rat marmot that I must defeat in combat if you don't hear from me soon then I have sadly passed on

[mlmxreader]

Armies Scorched the Land | Alex Keller x m!reader

@satan-incarnate-666 asked: iM NOT DONE

“Will our deeds be remembered?” - alex keller x m!reader

no mcd please 🥹🥹🥹

summary: war spreads like disease, and as far as you and Alex are aware, there isn’t a cure for it. 

tws: death mention, graphic depictions of war, swearing, smoking 

support your fanfic writers by reblogging what you read & enjoy

Sitting on the wall, you were painfully aware of the decaying corpse before you; how armies had scorched the land so terribly that it still had great weeping wounds, and how the air was still dense with smog from the constant fighting. You swallowed thickly, too hot even with just a shirt and your trousers on, and you turned to Alex as you took the bottle of water from him, taking a harsh and long swig that made you cough; for the first time in a long time, in far too long, there was now silence. Yet the brave black-backed shrikes did not sing. 

Otters would not return to the rivers, all the fish had died or had been caught by soldiers and eaten. Long-tailed marmots would not scurry across the now broken and desolate wasteland. Flowers would never grow again, the soil too infected with blood. War had spread like disease, and everything infected with it, had died. Once beautiful landscapes filled with life and wonder were now barren and scarred; scorched and charred. Armies had killed everything. Soldiers had left a clear path of destruction everywhere they had gone. Yet when facing death, they were all alike in the end. 

It didn’t matter who was wrong or right. It didn’t matter if they were rich or poor. It didn’t matter who they were serving. Foe and friend buried together amongst the rubble and the shit. There was no good or bad, no higher or lower moral ground. Only boys and men who had perished for the sake of nothing; only soldiers who had lost their lives for the sake of politicians. The one thing that the politicians did not want was commonplace; if one soldier found another from an opposing side, he would offer him water to drink. Something to eat if there was anything. A coat when it was cold. Mercy. Humanity. 

As much as they had tried to beat it out of soldiers during training, humanity would still prevail. When fighting a pointless and vile war, humanity was just about the only good thing to be found anywhere. A country on fire, countless and irreplaceable lives lost. You looked at Alex, and you sighed as you prepared yourself to ask the one question that nobody ever wanted you to ask; the one question that could destroy a soldier’s will to fight within less than a few seconds.

“What was it all for?”

Alex wished that he had an answer, that he somehow knew more than you and that he could simply shrug and reassure you that it was all worth it for some reason or another; but he had seen what the war had done, he had seen the bodies and the beautiful landscapes turned to corpses. He ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair, and he shook his head. He didn’t know. He would never know, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to anymore; the war had spread like disease, and there had been no cure. 

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I don’t think it was for anything.”

You turned your attention back to the landscape, looking at how once proud and glorious trees, so filled with life in the summer that they would sing with the breeze, had become little more than sticks of charcoal; black and burned as if mourning the death of the landscape. Broken and battered, unable to sing anymore, unable to so much as hum with the breeze. Their once long and thick arms would no longer hold up bird nests or squirrels, and would no longer be the envied home of caterpillars. Chaos at the front had turned to a crowded graveyard of any and all life that could have been had. 

You lit a cigarette, and passed the water back to Alex. “How unlucky of us.”

“Huh?”

“We’re alive,” you pointed out with a cynical scoff. “We have to carry the burden of seeing… this. Knowing that every sacrifice is in vain, and every price paid of a mile is simply lost money.”

He nodded slowly. “But at least we’re still alive.”

“For now,” you sighed, shaking your head. “It’d be kinder if we’d been killed… the things we did… those boys who died… will our deeds be remembered? Will theirs?”

“Don’t,” Alex sighed, shaking his head. “I might love you, but if you keep talking like that, I’ll throw you off this wall.”

You dared to smile as you playfully shoved him. “You know I’d be happy if you did - means I won’t have to keep going through this bullshit.”

His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and he swallowed thickly as he put the water bottle aside for a moment. “You shouldn’t talk like that, no one knows how pointless and stupid this war is more than us, but please… don’t talk like that.”

You shook your head as you huffed. “Alex, you know me well, but…”

“But I also know that once your head’s in something it doesn’t come out of it,” he sighed, moving a little closer and daring to put his arm around you. “I know you don’t wanna fight anymore, I don’t either, but… we have to keep going, how else are we gonna make it home?”

“In body bags.”

“I mean alive,” he growled, shaking his head. 

“I’m not much good for soldiering anymore,” you pointed out, swallowing thickly as you leaned into his side, your arm around his waist. 

Alex shrugged. “You’re always good for me, though… c’mon, we should find the others, anyway, before they start sending out dogs to sniff us out.”

Reluctantly, you stood, but you didn’t let him go as you fell into step beside him; both jaded when it came to the war, neither of you realised that it had infected you, too. You didn’t want to continue fighting, you didn’t want to see more corpses on the battlefield, more scorched earth, more charred bodies of trees and flowers. You didn’t want to see more warfare, more of the country set ablaze by soldiers.