As a heavy rain hammers Chicken Ridge, the little dog and I head out to the glacier in search of some dry. But, we find rain here too at and lake waters encroaching on the trail we usually take from Skater’s Cabin to the campground. Lake fog and low clouds hide the glacier and dampen the willows and cottonwoods’ fall color.

The little dog leads the way onto a work-around trail and into the almost empty campground. Only three RV’s use the huge facility today. This suits me but Aki looks like she could use some dog company. Other than a few song birds, thanks to the mist just little brown jobs, the place seems empty of life.

The rain stops just before we complete a loop through the campground. No wind rises but the clouds rise enough to reveal a strip of glacial ice. At the same time the fog shifts, revealing the reflections of a lakeside strip of yellowing cottonwoods mixed with dark-green spruce. It shifts back before I can focus my camera for a shot so all I can photograph is a line of tourist-red rafts heading toward the Mendenhall River.

I wipe off Aki and leave her in the car before returning to the lake in time to see the fog part again—this time long enough for me to capture some of the beauty.