Snapshots of October (And Words, Lots of Words)

Please skim to your heart's content, or you'll probably hate my ramblingness. I just haven't gone all out in rambles for awhile so I let myself. 

I've never considered myself brave or adventurous. I've gone places, but I've always loved home. My room, my bed, my blankets, my pillows. The coming back always made the going away worth it. Yet, as I look back over the past year and a half, I find myself looking at someone else. Someone who isn't me because there's no way that person could be me - the play-it-safe, triple-check-to-make-sure-she-has-the-car-keys-before-shutting-the-door, no-change loving me. I look at my Instagram feed and blink. People who follow me probably think I'm someone who is always planning something fun, that I'm always on one adventure or another.

I am a lot more of an adventurer than I used to be. I've grown in some ways, and in other ways, not so much. But maybe that's the way with us humans. We excel in one area and stumble in another. We go two steps forward and one step backwards. It's frustrating to be human.

Mt. Rainier. 

October involved a lot of different, out-of-the-ordinary stuff for me. My brother had come home to visit in September and stayed for a few weeks (and somehow a few weeks still wasn't enough time). Much of September (or so it felt) was spent in the hospital because we had two family members going through different things, but October was spent outside. My brother wanted to hike so we did that twice the first week of October.

The first week of October, and there was snow! I know you'll think I'm crazy, but this delighted me. I found where Autumn and Winter met.

 I didn't realize how many hiking trails are hidden away in the forest within two hours from our house. And the more you drive certain stretches of road, the more it becomes your neck of the woods. It doesn't seem so far away or so foreign.

The first hike was up the one highway by Rimrock Lake and Dog Lake where I've gone kayaking three times this year. The actual highway along the lake was shut with construction so we had to loop around on the other side (and the hiking trail was actually off that road), but there was something invigorating about driving backroads with the windows down on a crisp Autumn day. We originally were going to go do this shorter, easier hike, but the road up to it had been closed already for Winter.

Our hike was up Round Mt. (5000+ ft.). The one-lane road (with potholes and random craters - we only scraped the car's bottom once) went up the first 3-4,000 ft, leaving a 1500 ft. climb (and about a 5.5 mile roundtrip). It was 46 degrees when we got out of the car. So who knows what it was at the top.

Washington isn't known for its Autumn colors, but the sprinkling of colors we did see was so delightful. I have this thing for reds (which is why I dyed my hair red three times so far...). The few deciduous trees (a kind of conifer, I believe) in the forest hadn't started to turn yellow yet (they stand out like torches in the midst of the evergreen trees) so it was mostly these red bushes, but their colors were so crisp.

The top was certainly worth the walk. Almost instantly I forgot about my aching muscles (I'm active, but going up hills isn't something I do on a normal basis). You could see Mt. Rainier towards the Northwest and Mt. Adams towards the Southwest (it was almost hidden by a ridge of snow-covered peaks. You could trace the snowline all along the hills). Going back down was a killer, and my hands were frozen the rest of the day. But woods. I love them so much. The air is so fresh. It's so quiet. And when you get to see views of endless forest hills and valleys, you can't help but feel small.

I guess I decided I'd like to go hiking on my Birthday (? It might have been a bit more tiring an activity than I would have chosen, but it was fun. And yes, I had another Birthday. Last year I posted a somewhat melancholy, reflection on my Birthday. This year I didn't really have time. It pounced and then was gone.). We went up a different highway this time up towards Mt. Rainier National Park. More forest, but where we hiked was more of an alpine meadow than just an evergreen forest. Sadly, most of the Summer this highway was shut because there was a wildfire burning. Even as we drove up, we could see smoke rising deeper in the forest, and the car filled with the scent. Along the road, we could see places where it was more spacious and then places where the tree trunks were partially burned, but thankfully not as desolate as I feared.

Isn't this just marvelous? And it's a wildflower that's already gone to seed.

I had never gone up there in the Autumn. We usually do it in July or August when Spring has just barely arrived on the mountain. There will be snow still up there. Everything will look unbelievably green (but, of course, since I live in a desert, any green is probably unbelievably green to me), and the wildflowers will be blooming. In October it's actually brown. And there wasn't piles of snow (though, on the backside of a ridge, there was a skiff of snow). 

My brother had informed me that this hike was called 'easy'. It was 5.9 miles and only climbed like 1300 ft (more accurate = 6.7 miles and 1400 ft...and I'm gonna laugh at the 'easy' part. We made it in three hours), but it was fun because the landscape was a lot different than the other hike. You didn't arrive at some perfectly magical spot. The views were all along the way. At one point you could see Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens.

But the part I most loved about this hike was how far away from other people you get. When you arrive at the end -halfway down into another valley with a lake and a view of half of Mt. Rainier's face - you feel like you are the only ones surrounded by endless rolling mountains and forests and peaks and so many hidden beauties that so few people get to see. I wish I could more accurately describe the feeling. The world is breathtakingly beautiful and truly points toward its incredible Creator. 

It wasn't such a bad way to spend a Birthday, I think. Granted, I was plenty tired,  but I think hiking in the Fall is glorious. 

With my brother gone. My birthday over and outdoor weather coming to a close, I decided to tag along with my parents when they went over to Seattle (My mom always has appointments in October. Last year it was my Birthday so we went to the Aquarium. The year before that we went to Pike's Market Place). That meant I got to enjoy glorious Fall colors (Which did not disappoint. Along the river valleys, there's a lot more colors.), eat at a Moroccan restaurant (expensive but oh so worth it. Such an interesting experience, minus the dancer...that was...a bit awkward), go to an art gallery (which absolutely delighted me. The picture above gives you a small glimpse of my favorite room. One day my house will look like that. Maybe.), and see Snoqualmie Falls again (we've gone there at least three times, but one does not tired of beauty. Plus you get to go along the backroads to get there. Past nurseries, pumpkin patches, more fall colors, perfect houses, and places I want to live).

Space Needle. There's a clip of traditional Seattle for you.

I love taking pictures of old barns so we did a little detour on the way home. There's one area that is full of them so we did a bit of wandering. I'd like an old barn one day. One of those that looks old and picturesque on the outside but is still in one piece on the inside. Not because I want animals, though. I'd like it to be an artist studio. One of my crazy dreams.

No pictures of this, but last night I finished up October with a night spent in a tent in cold weather. I've never done that, but I thought it might be interesting. It got down to about 35 degrees, and it was a little painful but not bad (thanks to four wool blankets and multiple layers of clothing).  I experimented with campfire cooking, though, and that made everything absolutely wonderful.  We did stuffed, baked apples (Those are so perfect for Autumn). Homegrown potatoes. Popcorn (I didn't know one could pop corn over the campfire, but it does work, and it's so delightfully fun!). Cider. A chicken, pepper, onion mixture for on top of the potatoes. Bacon and pancakes for breakfast (the pancakes were a bit burnt, but they still tasted so good). Campfires are perfect for Fall. I hope to do that at least a few more times before it becomes an insane undertaking. Maybe make a soup?


So...whew...if you've gotten this far, you are amazing.

What was your October like? Would you say you're an adventurer? Have you been to Washington? Do you hike or are a couple mile walks more your pace? What is your favorite season for hiking? Have you cooked on a campfire before? What about when you were growing up - did your parents cook on the campfire, or do you mostly know hotdogs? What about camping in general - hardcore or vaguely aware of such a silly thing (because who wants to willingly choose to sleep out on hard ground as opposed to a bed)? Would you camp in cold weather? How cold is too cold?

Please say something. I want more than just me rambling endlessly to an empty room.