BY LESLIE REGO
The sounds of the creek are hypnotic. As I walk along Alpine Creek trail, the sounds come from behind me, from beside me, and from ahead of me. The murmurs intermingle. I try to make out the rhythm. Is it the pace of a heartbeat or a bit slower? Are the cascading waters tumbling around the stones like the canter of a Thoroughbred horse? This late in the season they do not appear to be like a gallop, but maybe a couple of months ago I would have likened the quickness of the water to the high speed of a horse in full throttle.
Each segment of the stream creates a unique utterance. The Alpine Creek hike climbs only 700 feet. Most of the water runs in a lazy whisper, but there are moments when the creek chortles its way through rushes, willows, and young aspen trees. At times, I come across a boulder-strewn section where waterfalls have formed. The water, threading around stones, crashes and thrashes its way down. This has become a musical walk on the scale of a grand orchestra with the percussion instruments demonstrating their full range of sounds.
I pass through a shady forest and come out into an open meadow. The stream gives moisture to the meadow and there is a lush profusion of bog orchid, penstemon, monkshood, grass of parnassus, and brook saxifrage. Continuing, the stream and I come to a sandy area. On one side there is the creek, on the other is a tall rocky wall. This wall has been playing peek-a-boo with me during the entire hike. I like how the wall is the giant standing sentinel over the water. I sit and paint. Moss and grass grow along the banks of the stream. The water is so clear I can see all the stones lining the creekbed. The water dances its way through a few stones, splashing here and there, varying currents forming along the way.
A perfect day, a perfect creek!
Leslie Rego is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, artist and Blaine County resident. To view more of Rego’s art, visit leslierego.com.