It rained off and on during the night, but I stayed toasty warm and dry. I’ll do a detailed post when I’m done about strategies to hike in the wet and cold. I’m carrying lots more gear than I would on a summer hike, but all these layers mean multiple redundancies to keep me and my gear dry.
The first miles in the morning were along roads dripping with rain, but I was able to put my umbrella on standby for the most part.
When Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams came on, I was instantly transported to a place where I was cruising on my skateboard, not a care in the world. Oh wait…that wasn’t me. Have you seen this video? I’ve probably watched it 100 times at least. I think it has gone viral for a reason, the pure feeling of freedom and lighthearted joy is what we all need right now.
I did my best to get a flow going on those rarely used roads, and if I had an audience for my antics, it was a few chipmunks and maybe the odd deer hiding from all the hunters out here. Kirk did get me a long-board for my birthday this year, so I’ll be working on my skating with one particular sequence in mind….
All of the walking was on roads today, so I let my mind wander.
I stared listening to a Barry Lopez audio book last night….that language! It’s amazing, and his passion and poetry for the natural world resonates deeply with me. I had the opportunity to hear him speak in Bend last year for the release of his newest book Horizon. That was actually the first time I had read his work…I’m not sure how that happened, I tend to gravitate towards writers like him. I know he lives in Finn Rock on the McKenzie River. We boated past Finn Rock probably four times with our friends Brooke and Adryon this year (they are learning how to IK! How exciting!) But Finn Rock is a few miles from Blue River…and those areas were devastated in the Labor Day fires….does anyone know if Barry Lopez is ok?
The sun came out….it rained….it rained while the sun was out…it hailed…the sun came out. Repeat. I might have gotten my tent more wet when trying to dry it out over lunch.
The rolling roads are taking me due west to the next river canyons that are so important to this area.
I had some reception during the day, so posted a few more photos to Instagram. I’ll do a big upload of photos when I get home in November, but for now the Insty is a way to see some pics.
She-ra Hikes 