I ’m sorry to have been out of touch for so long , but several weeks ago my husband and I decided to unplug from our computers , TV and chocolate - maker ( oh , the agony ) to embark on an off - farm backpacking risky venture . Our plan was this : spend 12 day hiking the 90 - mile Wonderland Trail encircling Mount Rainier , a once - in - a - lifetime experience that would include trekking through sunlight - buss alpine meadows , too beautiful to consider ; commune with marmots , pikas and perchance even mountain laughingstock ; and pausing for peaceful balance ( and some trail intermixture ) beside crystalline stream under moss - drape trees . At last , refresh and renewed , we would arrive at our trail ’s last in victory — and in the best form of our life-time .
Sadly , reality serve us the follow instead : a day - long , 10 - mile slog through intensify cloudburst and deepening track puddles that soak us and most of our gear ; wildlife sightings that consisted chiefly of banana slugs ( though we did see a utter white slug — cool ! ) ; and a damp , gloomy , parky night spent next to a river that howl louder as the hours exceed . The next day — another 10 miles , one shuddery river intersection and one slightly less scary landslide traverse later — we trudged into the penny-pinching ranger station , trite and disappointed , but also glad to be alive .
Waiting for our rescue drive , Brett and I muse over what we ’d done wrongfulness ( i.e. using overly heavy paraphernalia , which got much leaden as it became bedwetter ) and what we ’d done right ( i.e. packed our sleeping bags and emergency clothing in dry bag ) , and came to the painful conclusion that neither we nor our gear mechanism were ready for a long “ through raise ” in moth-eaten , wet conditions . So home we hold up to dry off , slumber in a ardent bed , and fancy out what to do with the remainder of our vacation . Farm labor probably , starting with the little greenhouse undertaking we ’d been be after all summer .
By day 3 , however , the Sunday had returned and , despite sore muscles , so had our yearning for adventure — even if it were just a little one . We repacked our large number and headed to the sunnier side of the pile , to one of our favorite sites a mere 2 miles in from the track header but with miles of mountain lead to explore beyond . And here ’s what we found :
We returned home refreshed and renew … and quick to originate on that nursery .
What have you been up to these past few week ?
~ Cherie
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