The Second Day, August 13, 1999

The sun rose early the next morning, with no clouds in sight. Generally, the first item on my agenda in the morning is a trip to the john. Although this was the middle of the Rocky Mountain backcountry, there was a john nearby. Of sorts. The photo below is a rear view of it. Wooden privacy slats surround the pot on three and a half sides, and are a little over 4 ft. high. The pot is constructed of heavy plastic, with a relatively normal lid. 

Now, here's the catch. Do you see, on the left side of the image, a narrow, tan, horizontal line in the distance that intersects the bottom of the 5th slat from the top? That's the trail. It is maybe 20 feet away. And the thick forest on either side of this small clearing absorbs the sounds of incoming foot traffic. 

So, whilst gainly perched upon the throne, you might suddenly, and without any warning, find yourself face to face with a fellow hiker. Once in a while a riding party may even come trotting by on horseback. Let's just say this is not a situation conducive to long periods of meditation. Under the circumstances, one tends to take care of business quickly. But Murphy's Law still works in the RMNP, and when the inevitable happens, one must simply Grin And Bear(?) It...

Next to the latrine was the pretty little flower shown above. Its rose-purple ray flowers, arranged around a bright yellow disk, with elliptical, clasping stem-leaves says its name is the Regal Daisy (Erigeron superbus) of the Aster Tribe (Asteraceae) of the Sunflower Family (Compositae). 

The genus Erigeron derives its name from two Greek words, eri-, meaning "early", and -geron, meaning "old (man)". The fine, narrow ray flowers of this genus are extremely fragile, and cannot stand much abuse. So, practically as soon as they bloom they begin to look somewhat abused, like this one.

If you ever see a flower with numerous, extremely narrow ray flowers like this, look for it in your flower guide under the genus Erigeron, and you will probably find it close by.  

Meanwhile, back at the camp, a mountain Lupine was found next to a log. That made me feel right at home, since another member of the same genus (Lupinus texensis) is, as my countrymen like to put it, the National flower of Texas. 

Not far away were several of the white flowers. Notice the groups of four leaves attached opposite one another on the stem. Now note the three prominent veins in each leaf. These features are marks of the Northern Bedstraw (Galium boreale), of the Madder Family (Rubiaceae).

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