Page 5 - Jan 24

The vibrant green waters of Lake Diablo are most vivid on a sunny day, when crushed rock particles from glacial runoff suspended in the water have an opportunity to reflect light waves in the green spectrum to maximum effect. This view from Lake Diablo Overlook was on just such a day in June (when the percentage of sunny days in the area tend to be above 50% for the summer season).
Emerald or jade. Forest or hunter. Turquoise or teal. Whatever adjective one chooses to add to “green,” there is little question you’ll find it in Washington. As a state motto, it’s never been officially adopted, but Washington has long been called “The Evergreen State” for good reason. Seattle, the state’s largest city, is similarly referred to as “The Emerald City.”
Never were these nicknames more applicable to me than while touring North Cascades National Park (NCNP). After electing to take the shorter, but much steeper, route back up the Ross Dam Trail, my kids and I sighed with relief upon planting ourselves in the seats of our rental car. A short drive down the north slope of Ruby Mountain brought us to the Diablo
Lake Overlook. There, the picnic lunch came out, but even our hunger and fatigue couldn’t keep us from lingering at the overlook’s precipice, gazing down at Diablo Lake. The vibrant green hue of the waters below seemed otherworldly, especially set against the nearly cloudless blue sky. How could that color possibly be natural?
JANUARY 2024
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 3