BIRTHDAY 'PARADISE'

I spent my birthday doing my favorite thing...hiking!! Here is my favorite photo from the day. I love the carpet of heather in the foreground.

Jodi joined me for my birthday hike. I took the day off work and looked forward to my hike all week long. I chose a trail I have been wanting to do for many years. It's a big hike and I knew it would take all day to walk the long path. We got on the trail at 10:30 am and finished at 7:30 pm. Total miles was 12.5 with 2300 ft of elevation.

We had heat in the mountains as the Pacific Northwest was enduring a stifling heat wave. Instead of the usual 65-75 degrees in the mountains we had high 80's for daytime temps. Fortunately, we had a significant amount of forested sections. Though in those forested sections we had pesty flies.

The wildflowers were outstanding. Every turn offered a new and varying view of Mt Hood as a backdrop for colorful flowers.

We made a stop at a stream, peeled off our sweaty socks and dipped our tired feet into the chilly water. Ahhh, so refreshing. But socks weren't enough...I took off my shirt and sunk it deep into the stream and soaked it, wrung it out, and put it back on. I stayed cool for at least 30 mins before my quick dry material worked its magic and was dry again.

We found a small bit of shade for a lunch spot only to have to stand and move around to keep the flies from hovering. Jodi had a special lunch dessert--two cupcakes with a candle and her special rendition of "Happy Birthday". That was a VERY fun surprise. That's the first time I've had birthday cupcakes on a trail.

With only 1.5 miles to go Jodi began to have trouble with the heat. We managed to keep her on her feet, though slowly, and made it off the trail before dark. Our trail began and ended at a very touristy parking lot. I was asked to take a photo for a young couple visiting from W. Virginia. They inquired about our long hike and I gave them my map and a suggestion for a nice hike, though not as long as ours. I'm always eager to help people enjoy this beautiful state.

I love it here and couldn't think of a better way to spend my birthday! I'm 45 and feeling healthy and ever more motivated to explore trails I've yet to saunter. I've worn out another pair of hiking boots and will use birthday money to get new ones at the end of this season.

I planned three hikes this summer and invited friends. This weekend's hike was supposed to be to Plains of Abraham at Mt St Helens. I've been wanting to do that trail for several years and have had schedule conflicts each time the opportunity presented itself. In recent years the road to the trailhead was washed out, thus requiring a much longer drive and using a different trail to reach the Plains. This year the road is open and I was psyched. Then I inquired with a friend who knows the trail well and got an unpleasant trip report from her. The black flies were menacing and intolerable. Shucks!

I changed the location for this weekend's hike to Pinnacle Ridge at Mt Hood. Again, I inquired with a few hiking contacts to get a bug and wildflower report. I wasn't able to secure any guarantees but opted to try the trail anyway. Jodi and Lin were joining me.

Most of the path is forested and that was good because it was very warm. The bugs were tolerable and I was relieved. There were a few very steep sections but the vast carpets of avalanche lilies distracted me as I ascended slowly. We encountered some confusion in a boggy area. In some places my boots sunk deeply, nearly to my ankle, and I was reminded of my unexpected sinking into the quaking bog in Ireland a few years ago. Jodi's tenacity found the trail on the other side of the bog. We made it through unscathed.

Large patches of snow still linger on the trail though not obscuring the path enough to lose it, thankfully. In a few weeks the heather will bloom and fill the area with more color. I'd love to see that! The indian paintbrush and shooting star were trying hard to lend a hand. An occasional breeze cooled us and kept the bugs at bay.

We had lunch at Wy'East Basin and enjoyed a relatively bug free zone. The basin has yet to bloom.

Our trek back to the car was full of conversation. At the car we enjoyed bubbly water, watermelon and cherries.

I was already having a decent week but it got better when I got this in the mail! It's from Ava.

I headed out early Saturday morning for Redmond. I'm one of those lucky gals to have friends with vacation homes. My friend Linda has a place in Redmond, smack dab in the heart of gorgeous central Oregon with access to all things trails and boots.

We got on the Tam McArthur Rim trail at 2pm. Linda's car thermometer read 88 degrees. The lupine carpeted the forest floor with purple. We ascended slowly in the heat, taking in the view below and ahead. Only a few bugs, though not menacing. I felt fatigued and sluggish. I drank water and plodded on assuming it was the heat and the elevation. My lungs were uncooperative. My asthma can frustrate me on the uphill. I raised my water bottle to drink and my hand quivered. I lumbered on and felt like I wanted to lie at the side of the trail and take a nap. We stopped at the first lookout and I ate a sizable handful of the chocolate cookies Linda's husband sent along. I also had a Luna bar, more water, and some Recharge. We relaxed and took in the view with few bugs to prompt our departure. I reapplied my sunscreen and drank more water.

We continued our path and I felt like a completely different person. I realized I had needed to eat! I NEVER forget to eat, believe me. The heat tricked me into thinking I wasn't hungry. Linda and I have the best conversations on the trail and we did just that as we descended back to the trailhead.

We had dinner in Sisters. A gorgeous sunset splashed the sky behind Linda's house.

I tucked in and had a mostly restful night's sleep. The sky was orange when I woke up to the bird's having their morning song. We headed out at 8:30am, stopped in Sisters for coffee and the bakery and were at our trailhead, Crescent Mountain, at 10am.

It was cooler, just a little, and the path was flat for the first 1.5 miles or so. Then the ascent began and my lungs once again dictated my pace. Periodically we were battered by pesty mosquitoes. The wildflowers were a diversion from the uphill and the occasional bugs. Scarlet gilia speckled the hillside meadows with reddish orange. Linda is the only friend I have that gets more excited than I do about the wildflowers. Most of my friends will say, "Oh, that's pretty". Linda knows details about the flowers and enjoys their finest aspects, just as I do.

We scored some huge Cascade lily. I was glad to have my good camera with me. I could have stayed in that spot for hours trying to capture the essence of that plant. Yet, the summit beckoned and we were hungry. The hummingbirds whooshed around us and at one point as I was squatted down to shoot a photo a hummer whizzed past me and I said to Linda, "Did you hear that?" She said, "Yep, I thought it was your stomach growling". I had just fussed about being hungry and we still had more uphill ahead.

The summit was worth all the walking to get there. We had clear skies with views from Mt Adams to the north and Diamond Peak to the south. Mt Jefferson peered across the valley at us as we enjoyed our lunch in a small patch of shade.

We retraced our steps to return to the trailhead. I peeled off my sweaty and dusty clothes and slipped into some cotton for my long drive back to Portland.

Kayaking the Tualatin River with Jodi. The next week we did the Audubon's Great Blue Heron Week regatta on the Willamette River.

I finally made it to Koosah and Sahalie Falls. The sun was bright so taking pictures was a challenge. Elmo went along on the three mile hike and was adventurous and energetic the entire time despite the heat.

Spent time in central Oregon over the long weekend. So grateful for the solid and enduring friendship with Jodi. We floated the Deschutes on the 4th. Later, we took a drive to enjoy the late evening light and take some photos.

Jane and husky Mowgli joined us on a hike to Sisters Mirror Lake. The mosquitoes dived bombed for lunch. Lots of snow on the path, still.