Mindfulness Practice on Angel's Rest

It’s amazing how a change in mindset can make all the difference in the world.

This past Sunday, I was jonesing for a hike.  The weather was supposed to be perfect—mid-50’s, sunny skies, pure bliss!  I laced up my shoes, packed my bag, and headed out the door.  I didn’t have the same kind of grit and to-hell-with-them-all determination as I did hiking Devil’s Rest.  My thought process when hopping in the car was, “a walk in the woods sounds nice”.  Boy, there must have been a bunch of folks who thought the same thing.  Holy cow.  Several parking lots in the Columbia River Gorge were full at 9:30 a.m.  I was lucky to find a spot right in front of Wahkeena Falls.  In essence, I was going to be taking the same hike that led to the Devil’s Rest Summit, but heading towards Angel’s Rest instead.

Though it was the same initial part of the hike, it didn’t feel nearly as leg-busting and strenuous as it did previously.  It was interesting.  Instead of “I HAVE TO MAKE IT TO ANGEL’S REST NO MATTER WHAT TODAY”, my mantra was “Yup, a walk in the woods will be nice”.  You’d be surprised.  You really would be.  I didn’t have the kind of tunnel vision as I did before, when climbing up all of the switchbacks.  I stopped and took pictures.  I saw interesting plant formations and mushrooms emerging from the decaying trunks of fallen trees.  I didn’t even give these beauties a second glance before.  Huh.

Little chandelier-looking mushrooms

Before I knew it, I made it to the top.  Once you wind your way to the top of the switchbacks, there’s a little lookout called Lemmon’s Viewpoint, named for a fallen firefighter who lost his life protecting the gorge.  I passed a fellow hiker and took a few pictures.  Wasn’t out of breath, legs were fine—cool!

Lemmon's Viewpoint over the Columbia River

As I wound around to Fairy Falls, the creeks were swollen and singing a gentle reverie in the depth of the forest.  How did I miss this before?  Was I blind and deaf in my goal with Devil’s Rest?  Interesting.  Either way, I was thankful to be enjoying it this time around.

How in the hell did I miss this before?

I reached a clearing in the hike, the invariable fork in the road.  Devil’s Rest or Angel’s Rest?  As I was making my way towards Angel’s Rest, I came across a semi-familiar face.  The hiker I passed at Lemmon’s Viewpoint was asking a guy where to go at this point in the hike.  Bless his heart, I think he missed her question entirely and tried to lead her back to the parking lot.  After he headed on his way, I approached her and offered to lend a hand.  A quick introduction later, I found out her name was Liz, this was her first time in Wahkeena, and she was headed to Angel’s Rest as well.  We agreed to join forces on our journey and made our way to Angel’s Rest, which was another 2.6 miles away.

This “walk in the woods” became a conversation about life, love, the changing flows of time, the hospitality of the Midwest, and how each of us made our way to Oregon.  I was so entranced with the conversation that before we knew it, new friend Liz and I made it to Angel’s Rest.

Made it to the top!
Note: I didn't ask new friend if I could post her pic, so out of respect, I decided against it.

We were in awe.  We made it?  Really?  Wow!  We sat on the sun-soaked rock formations, gave our quads a break, and sat in the glory of our victory.  The winds picked up pretty intensely, so we didn’t stay too long.  We finished a lunch of blackberries, protein bars, and roasted pumpkin seeds, and made our way back.

The perfect spot for lunch.

As we continued our conversation, but I couldn’t help but think about everything I had absorbed during this trip.  Not only did I get a lovely “walk in the woods”, but since I wasn’t so rigidly focused on the end point, I was available to make a new friend.  I saw new sights and discoveries on the trail.  I got the chance to appreciate being in the moment and not focus so much on how long I was going to be out and about, where my end point was, anything like that.  In essence, I enjoyed the hike for the hike’s sake, not for personal glory.

This hike ended up becoming a mindfulness practice.  What opportunities do you open yourself up to when you relax and go with the flow of the day?  Being the anxious busy little bee that I am, giving myself a break mentally was the most nourishing and loving thing I could give myself.  And the rewards were plentiful.

Nature's ikebana

We made it back to the car, exchanged numbers, and designated each other as our ‘hiking buddy’.  We laughed at our good fortune to find each other; hurray for new hiking friends!  We calculated our triumph before we parted ways.  We climbed 1,600’, traversed 8.4 miles, and made it there and back in 5 hours.  Insane!  The longest distance I had gone before was 7 miles.  I unintentionally broke a personal record that day and didn’t even realize it.  I was too busy enjoying the experience.

It opens one up to think—what would it be like if all of the aspects in life were this open?  To just sit and let the day happen?  I, for one, would be curious to see what happens.

Happy Journeys,

al

Touch of Compassion and a Cup of Coffee

Update:  Two minutes after publishing this post, a little red-headed girl, no more than 3, came up to me and asked me to help her zip her jacket.  Her brother and sister watched protectively, but after a few minutes, all of us were making faces and doing silly dances in the middle if a busy coffee shop.  Isn't it funny how things turn out that way?  Definitely the highlight of the weekend.

***

So, I'm at a coffee shop right now and wrote a letter to a friend.  This wasn't a "hey, how's it going" kind of letter, but a "thank you for helping me through a dark time in life" letter.

I was filled with a flood of conflicting and intense emotions as my vellum ink pen touched the cardstock.  The deep sea of grief, the depth of loss, a swelling heart of gratitude, and a gentle weariness filled my being.

As I finished the last sentence and signed my name, I looked at the faces around me.  The concerned tones, the joyful laughs, the giggling of a little girl looking at a picture book.  All whilst feeling and breathing through each and every sentence, I wore a face of focus and a light smile.

No one here knows I wrote a thank you letter.  That I wrote it to thank a special someone for his support during a dark time; a time in my life when cancer took someone I loved.  No one.  All this pain and love, hidden behind a smile.

In perspective, what are these fine coffee purveyors hiding behind a laugh and a smile?  What thoughts and love, goals and challenges lie in these people's lives?

It was such an interesting perspective to think about. I'm going to let it permeate and radiate to those I share life with today.  It gives me a moment to pause and feel a deep compassion for everyone out there, rather than solely focusing on my grief.

Overall, people are fascinating, as in the way we hold ourselves around others, even our loved ones.  For those out there hiding something, anything, behind a smile--I'm thinking of you today.

Love and Well-Wishes with Each Breath,

al

Devil's Rest VICTORY

Wahkeena Falls Trailhead to Devil’s Rest

Columbia River Gorge

As I mentioned in my last post, Frozen Waterfalls in Columbia Gorge, the Devil’s Rest hike is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  Think of it as a badge of honor—it would be the steepest, longest hike I ever tackled.  We’re talking 7.5 miles in the woods, 2,550’ elevation.  So needless to say, it was a challenging goal.  Truth be told—and I’ll own it—this would be the fourth attempt to hit this hike.

Attempt #1—Made it about 4 miles in, turned around due to fatigue and falling temperatures.

Attempt #2—A week later, made it a mile in before my stomach took a turn.  Scrambled eggs wasn’t a good choice for breakfast.

Attempt #3—The next week, made it ¼ of a mile in, but the trail was covered in thick sheets of ice (previous blog post).

Attempt #4—

9:09 a.m.—Arrived at Wahkeena Falls Trailhead in the Columbia River Gorge.  Sent friends and family a text message letting them know where I was.  It’s about 42 degrees right now and it’s starting to rain.

9:40 a.m.—Made it up 11 switchbacks, leading me approximately 600’ in the first half a mile of the trip.  Oh my God, my legs are on fire and my heart is pounding in my ears.

9:45 a.m.— There are a few superhuman trailrunners blasting ahead of me.  Forget that crap.  I’m not qualifying for the Olympics.  Break time for me.  The rain is starting to die off a little.  Hopefully my protein bar didn’t get too soggy.

9:51 a.m.—There’s a big ass tree trunk blocking the way.  I got my footing and climbed my way around that mofo.  I just made it through 11 switchbacks.  I’m not letting some stupid trunk stop me. 

Ha!  Bite me, tree trunk.

9:57 a.m.—Fairy Falls!  I’m 2 miles into the hike at this point.  The air’s still pretty chilly, but my heart beat is back to a normal rate.  AHHH.

10:30 a.m.—I’m getting deeper and deeper into the woods and the fog is starting to get thicker and colder.  Interesting that as I’m getting  closer to a location called “Devil’s Rest”, that it’s getting a little spooky.  Beautiful, but spooky.

10:34 a.m.—YES!  I see a wooden sign!  That’s good.  My legs are tired.  I have no idea how much further I need to go.

I’m the red dot.  YES!  1.6 miles to go!  WHEW!  I’m making good time too—an hour and a half and some change.  I got this!

Why, thank you, sign.  You are most helpful.

Victory dance and protein bar break!  My legs are starting to feel squashy from the hips down, but F it.  1.6 miles?  Piece of cake.

11:07 a.m.—Oh my dear God.  It’s been a straight half mile of switchback after switchback.  I think I’m gargling my heart.  I’m breathing so hard you’d think I just wolfed my way through a bag of greasy fries.  At this point, I’m willing my feet to keep moving forward, but they’re protesting.  I’m taking breaks every 20 steps.  F me running.

Gorgeous view.  Stupid damn switchbacks.

11:07 a.m.—In keeping with the creepy vibe, there’s a weird spider tree kind of poking out from the side of the trail.  Weird, but cool.  Thankfully, the trail is level for right now.  My legs are pissed.

11:13 a.m.—I’m starting to cross paths with hikers that look all fresh-faced and pumped to be alive.  They give me the look of pity.  Fuckers.  I look like a stumbling rag-a-muffin, stinking of sweat.  I’m pretty sure I’ve sweated through my pants at this point.  Swamp ass is unpleasant in general, but even more unpleasant in the presence of strangers.

11:21 a.m.--Ok.  Come on, Little Engine.  Dear God.  I’m sure my legs are going to pop off my torso and rebel.  Or strike.  Or both.  I came across a weird, bloody piece of tree bark.  I’m pretty sure this isn’t Devil’s Rest, but Dante’s Inferno.  Why is the trail still going up?  Dear Lord, where in the hell is all this height coming from?  I beg a hiker heading back in desperation—how much further do I go?  Did I miss it?  He rolled his eyes and checked his super-fancy hiking watch.  “You’ve got 300’ vertically to go” and walked off.  Thank you, Ass.  That was absolutely no help at all.

Bloody stump.  That's exactly what my legs feel like.

11:44 a.m.—I’m pretty sure I can’t do anymore.  The thought of turning around at this point is so tempting, I’m salivating, which looks disturbing to hikers I stumble across.  I keep promising myself biscuits and gravy if I keep going.  I asked another passerby how close I was.  He said it was right around the corner!  I could have hugged him, but that would have been awkward.  Suddenly, my posture’s perfect and my legs are strutting a little “I got this” swag.

11:46 a.m.—VICTORY!  DEAR GOD, YES!  I MADE IT!  I would jump up and down, but despite the triumphant adrenaline rush, my legs are still overworked and pissy.  Instead, I sat on my ass and enjoyed the rush.  So good.  Oh man.

Devil’s Rest in itself isn’t particularly fantastic or spell-binding.  It’s a grotto of gigantic mossy rocks.  Don’t care.  To me, this place is epic.

The look of exhausted victory.

I wanted to take more pictures, but there were two dudes that were wanting to snap pictures of each other eating Clif bars.  I opted to bounce before it got too PDA-ish (either with each other or the Clif bars).

At this point, I have traversed 3.75 miles, 2,550’ vertically in 2 hours, 37 minutes.  I’ve made it through half of my water and gnawed on ½ of my protein bar.  I didn’t stay at the site long.  I’m sure the gents wanted privacy with their Clif bars and expensive cameras.  I took a few minutes to enjoy the sights, and made my way down.

12:01 p.m.—Finally got to the point where I could to sit.  The way down isn’t too shabby, much to my body’s delight.  My arms and hands are joining in, getting all achy and cold.  The temperature is dipping—if I had to take a guess, it’s probably high 30’s/low 40’s.  I took a break and threw on another pair of gloves.  Always pack extra provisions and equipment.  It’s worth it.

I have on two pairs of socks.  I don't have cankles.  Just throwing that out there.

12:09 a.m.—I’m up and at ‘em.  The downhill switchbacks would be Heaven, but the rain has made them slip-zones, so I still have to go slow.  Despite that though, I’m still swaggering with pride.  Now I know why those jerks were so happy when they crossed my path.  I pass a few exhausted faces while I’m on my way down and wish them luck.  "It’s gorgeous!", I tell them.  "Keep going!"

Glorious, glorious mud.

12:32 p.m.—Still going down, down, down.  I just passed a tree that looks like it’s being eaten by another tree.  Sweet.

Om nom nom.

1:18 p.m.—The trail is getting familiar and I’m starting to bump into more people.  I’m getting closer to civilization, which in turn means closer to biscuits and gravy!  My legs are getting the shakes right now.  I mumble a mantra of all the things I’m going to devour: "Biscuits and gravy.  Scrambled eggs.  Coffee.  Potatoes.  Come on.  There’s food.  Keep going for food."

1:20 p.m.—Ok, this area is definitely familiar.  I just passed the tree trunk that I climbed over on my way up.  I am so elated, I feel like my chest is going to explode.  People are looking at me like I’m a little bananas, but that doesn’t stop me from saying hello and “Happy Adventures!”  I’m so cheerful that I get disgusted looks from fellow hikers.  They can kiss my ass.  Devil’s Rest has been conquered and I’m in the home stretch!  Happy times and sunshine!

However, my elation bit me in the ass.  Literally.  I was strutting my victory walk when I slipped on some mud and grazed my back on an exposed tree trunk on my way down.  Sonofabitch.  Oh well.  Almost done!

1:24 p.m.—I reach the original summit, the result of the preliminary 11 switchbacks.  Bruised back meat or no, victory is glorious.

1:33 p.m.—Making my way down #6 of the switchbacks.  I encourage the group of ladies struggling up that they only have five more to go.  They all cheered and it was awesome.

1:37 p.m.—HOLY SHIT, THERE’S MY CAR!

1:43 p.m.—V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.  I’ve reached the trailhead.  My entire body is wracked with cold, tingling with muscle spasms from head-to-toe.  I can feel the bruises forming and I’m up to my ankles in thick splatters of wet mud.  God, I love hiking.

 

Peace out, Wahkeena and Devil’s Rest.  It’s been an amazing adventure.

It took me approximately one hour, 57 minutes to make my way down.  Summation—I hiked 7.5 miles in 4 hours and 34 minutes.  Fell down once, ate ¾ of a protein bar, and drank nearly all my water.  Victory has never been so sweet.

The End.

P.S.  I headed out to get breakfast afterwards at Cup and Saucer on Killingsworth.  Forget biscuits and gravy.  I wanted eggs.

I ordered the World Famous Garden Scramble with home fries, whole wheat toast with butter and strawberry jam, and a café au lait with soy milk.  I was not lady-like in devouring the entirety of the meal in a disturbingly short amount of time.  The waitress/server gal was really sweet, but I think I creeped her out a little, which made the whole experience even better.

So worth it.

al

Frozen Waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge

Columbia River Gorge—Wahkeena Falls Trailhead, Multnomah Falls, Latourell Falls Trail.

God help me, I just can’t resist the temptation to be outside early on a weekend, especially when I know it’s going to be cold outside.  Call me a hedonist.  Running, hiking, walking around, anything.  Coffee reaches a religious level when you've been shivering in the great outdoors for a few hours.

So I hopped out of bed about 8 a.m., laced up my hiking shoes, grabbed a few extra supplies (spare gloves, socks, random towel), and headed for the Columbia River Gorge, located about 16 miles outside of Portland.

The goal was to hike Devil’s Rest via Wahkeena Falls, a 7.2 mile, 2,550’ elevation hike.  This would be my third attempt to tackle the Beast in two months.

Alas, Mother Nature had other plans. 

I started up the Wahkeena trailhead, but was met with thick sheets of ice on the trail less than a mile in.  Forget that noise.  But the sights were gorgeous.

Baby waterfall off the trail.

Frozen waterfalls--nature's chandelier

Since Devil’s Rest was out, it was time to scope out different hiking spots.  Before I set out to get lost in the woods, I wanted to pay homage to one of the most famous waterfalls in the state of Oregon: Multnomah Falls.  There’s a little hike you can do there, but since it’d a hiking straight up for about a mile in ice and snow, I decided that would be an adventure for another day.

Multnomah’s splendor did not disappoint.

This one was taken right outside my car.

God, I love Oregon.

Places like this actually exist.  Crazy.

I was there relatively early in the morning, so crowds were light.  I’m glad too.  I was able to wander around slack-jawed.  I couldn’t help it.  I was completely overwhelmed with everything I was seeing.  The crowds started picking up after hanging out for about half an hour or so, so I hopped in the car.  Time to find a hike.

The last stop on this icy retreat was Latourell Falls, which offers a 2+ mile hike for novice hikers.  This is my go-to hike and I’d highly recommend it to anyone hiking in the gorge for the first time.

The hike itself wasn’t nearly as impacted with ice and snow like Wahkeena was, but there were a few patches of ice covered in fallen pine needles and mud here and there. 

The hike itself was fantastic, as usual.  However, about a mile into the journey, I reached Upper Latourell Falls, only to find that the trail had been blocked by baseball-sized balls of ice, rocks, and a sizable sheet of ice.

Beautiful and stunning, yes.  Worth breaking a limb?  Nope.  But hey—I was proud for making it that far and getting to see all the gorge had to offer in early January.  I bid adieu to Upper Latourell Falls, turned around, and headed back.

The way back was just as lovely.  I even found myself humming the theme song to the Legend of Zelda.  I must have been really in the groove—I lost my footing on a patch of ice, saw my legs whip out in front of me, and landed on my ass with a solid UMPH.  As I got my bearings and stood up, I couldn’t help but giggle.  It was a pretty epic fall.  My butt and wrist felt bruised for maybe a minute. However, with the ground being muddy and slick right where I fell, I’ll give you one guess as to what my backside looked like to passersby.  

Thank God for the extra towel.

Overall, it was an amazing morning spent in the gorge.  No, I didn’t get to tackle the Devil (Devil’s Rest), but I headed towards Portland having paid respect to three ethereal locations in the Columbia River Gorge.  Not only that, but my lungs were full of crisp, clean air, my face was rosy from the cold bite in the air, and I had mud all over my butt.

Pretty damn awesome adventure, I’d say.

al

P.S. You can see more pictures of random stuff on my Instagram account.  You’ll find me under PickleandMerbles (all one word).

New Year's Resolutions

Welcome to 2015, Friends.  We are five days in.  How are the resolutions going?

Well, if you’re anything like me, my goals don’t always last.  I mean well, I kick ass in the first week to month of the new year, then those goals just flutter away by the wayside.  Then what?  By the time I get around to them, it’s time to make new ones for the next year.  It’s a forgetful, silly cycle.

This year, I am determined to make this year count.  I want to be an active participant in my life.  Taking that step is tough though—how do you start?

Here are a few tips on what helped me create some decent goals—

·         Make your goals specific.  For me, I wanted to be more creative and tie up loose ends.  If I left the goal like that, it’d be too vague for me to follow through or commit to.  Instead, I changed this to something I could hang my hat on, like “I will blog at least once a week.”  The same for you.  “I will hit the gym three times a week”, “I will make one piece of art a month”, etc, etc.
Try this format: “I will    verb  for   x  times per   unit of time  .”   Fill in the blanks for what works for you.
Beware though—making a goal with an unrealistic time frame can cause you to lose steam fast.  Saying you’re going to go to the gym every day for an hour is not only unrealistic, but daunting and overwhelming.  Be thoughtful and realistic, as well as kind to yourself and your schedule.

·         Take the time to make thoughtful, well-worded goals.  This will sound a little odd, but put effort into wording your goal well.  Having something jotted down like “I’m going to be active this year” isn't going to get you very far.  Now, if you take the time to say “I’m going to tackle three new hikes all over the Oregon and Washington area every month,” that sounds like a kick ass goal.  You are a kick ass person—you deserve to have a goal of the same caliber.

·         Put your goals somewhere where you’ll see them every day.  I’m a big believer that when you see a goal every day, you’ll subconsciously make changes in that direction.  So find a good place that’s going to catch your eye.  That could be on a bulletin board at home, hanging up on the fridge, or even at work.  I wouldn't recommend it hanging in your car though.  Safety first.

With these little tidbits in mind, I’ll share what my goals look like for the year:

They're not perfect, but boy, I like them.

These are well-worded and intentional goals that I have for myself in 2015.  So far, so good!

Remember—even if you’re just now getting these up, it’ll take your brain some time to start moving in the direction you set for yourself.  Personally, I’ve been seeing these goals every day for about a week now and my brain is starting to churn out some interesting project ideas and writing topics.  Be patient.  Work with intention and patience—you’ll be surprised where you’re at in a month or three.  If you lose sight, don’t despair.  It’s not about being perfect.  It’s about taking steps in the right direction.

Happy Goal-Setting,

al