The Great Outdoors

Despite the horrendously rainy and cold spring we've been having, there have been a few shining moments of sun and warmth, and my roommates and I are taking full advantage. For a girl who used to whine at the thought of hiking up a mountain, I've come quite a long way.

Memorial day weekend, for the first time in probably 10 years, I strapped on an over 50 pound back pack, and headed out onto the trail for a backpacking and camping weekend. I gotta say I felt pretty bad ass finally putting my "travel backpack" to it's intended use. Something about caring around your own food and shelter on your back and walking into the wilderness with a group of people is liberating. It was a fairly easy hike - we had quite the mix of experienced and first time backpackers. Hiked about four miles in to the camp site *Gretchen and I found and convinced our group to hike 15 more minutes for our pristine location*, set up our tents, scoured the land for fire wood (not hard, there's a beetle infestation that is killing all the trees), and chowed down on dried fruit, trail mix, and fire-roasted hot dogs. The second day, Garrett and Tomás headed onward past where the trail was not really hike-able any more due to downed trees. They camped a second night at Badger Lake. The girls and I hiked until we were having to climb over downed trees every 15 feet. It made for a nice 9 mile hike on day 2 before the drive home. I had at one moment considered going on with the boys to camp a second night, but that 9 mile hike told me I am not quite in the backpacking shape I'd like to be in. None the less - communing with nature and sleeping in a tent for the first time in a LONG time was pretty great :)





Then the next weekend, we were lucky enough to have another beautiful saturday and went on a hike to Ramona Falls with our support couple Jim and Mary Anne Buck. Both in their 60's and recently retired, Jim is quite the athlete and mountian man, and Mary Anne has joined a hiking group since her retirement from St. Henry's Parish 6 months ago. They picked us up in the morning, we drove out to Mt. Hood National Forest and went on one of the most beautiful hikes I have been on in a long time. We wandered through what seemed to me the garden of eden entranced by the babbling brook and the silence of the deep forest. Not to mention the incredible view of Mt. Hood. Jim an Mary Anne provided a nutritious lunch when we got to the falls, then we were invited over for an evening of Venison Stew, Rhubarb Pie, and great conversation. Amazing.






I can't get enough! I want to hike every weekend!