A Saturday Hike

After a beautiful week of sunny weather, we just had to go take a hike today. Besides, Will was at the Northwest Sportmens Show in Portland yesterday and as usual, he was thinking about ways to make my life more enjoyable. So he had a couple of new purchases for me to try out.

As we headed toward McDonald Forest, Will noticed someone he knew in a pickup. "Isn’t that Bambi – no, her name’s not Bambi..." Nick and I hadn’t seen the occupants so we had no idea who in the world Bambi might be. But we soon figured it out. It was Barbie. Will said, "Well, I knew it was one of those fairy tale names." That struck me so funny that I laughed til tears ran down my cheeks.

When we arrived at the parking lot of Dan’s Trail at the McDonald Forest, less than a half hour drive from our house, I put on my new "daypack" that Will purchased the day before. It’s so essential to have a large pack with a jacket, water, snacks, and other necessities just in case. Do you think it’s big enough for an afternoon hike?
The trail went uphill forever. When we finally reached the top, we sat on a bench to refresh ourselves. Will got out his portable ham radio and checked in to see if anyone could hear him. Sure enough, one of his good radio buddies from Lebanon immediately reported that he had a good strong signal. It’s amazing what a high antenna will do! Then another buddy from Tangent reported that he had been on his way out to spray his one fruit tree and heard Will so he had to stop and check in also. He felt that it was a little cold outside and wondered if we were wearing jackets. Will replied that we were sitting in the sunshine in t-shirts and he would be comfortable stripping down even further. (Fortunately he didn’t.) It’s pretty difficult to end a conversation with these guys. Will kept saying, "Okay, nice talking to you, I’ll get back to eating my apple now." But everyone seems to want to have the last word. I got another good laugh out of it all.

Notice also Will's efficient walking stick, propped on the bench next to him. He finds many uses for cross country ski poles!

Eric was working today so he didn't get to come. Nick wasn’t too thrilled about going hiking, but he had a great time and wants to do it again soon. His legs carry him along a bit faster than ours do, but he was quite tolerant of our old, out of shape pace. When he came to a fork, he would return and hike back with us.

When we returned to the trailhead, Will instructed Nick to retrieve the supply box out of the car. The new portable espresso maker was put on the little propane stove, and soon the wonderful smell of espresso filled the air! We sat awhile and enjoyed the coffee. I especially appreciated the way the cup warmed my hands, which had become a bit chilly after we sat down.

We have vowed to get out and do more hiking.