His and Hers Hikes

On Father's Day weekend, the city park and vicinity were packed with baseball players from out of town. It was SO crowded; the parking area was overflowing, and people and their stuff were everywhere, so Josh decided it was a good idea to leave work an hour early on Friday to get away from the chaos and head out of town to the mountains. He wanted to go to Iron Lake in the camper van, but he wasn't sure if the rugged mountain road would be clear of snow. He took his motorbike up, decided the road was good enough for the van, came back home, got the van, and drove BACK to the lake for an overnight camping/hiking trip. He was the only person staying at the campground, which was ideal. It was wet and cold, so he was glad he'd been able to take the van instead of sleep in a tent! On Saturday morning, he hiked up to Taylor Mountain. He'd never done the hike this early in the season, and there was still snow across several parts of the trail. He made it to the Lookout Tower just before a windy snowstorm blew in. He took shelter in the lookout for about 30 minutes until the storm passed, and then made his way back down the mountain. The hike took longer than usual due to the snowy trail and the snowstorm: it took about 4 hours round trip. When he got back to the lake, he decided he didn't want to be cold any longer, and he packed up and drove home. It was a quick 24-hour trip for him, but he was really glad that he went! He'd much rather be alone on a mountain than at a function with a huge crowd of people!

Snow-covered hiking trail to Taylor Mtn.

Josh's favorite wildflower: the Indian Paintbrush

The following Wednesday (June 21st), I took the day off work to go hiking up to Gold Bug Hot Springs with my dominoes friends from Mud Lake. They'd never been to it before, and it had been several years since I'd been, so I was glad for the chance to go again. The weather was perfect, and it was so wonderful to spend the day with them. It was a very therapeutic trip for me. I cried multiple times on the hike as a result of being in a safe space with my beloved friends and also feeling vulnerable as I was experiencing my new respiratory challenges. I spent the hike processing a lot of recent hardships: the loss of my vocal abilities, the change in my profession, and the newly acquired job that required me to work full-time in the summer which I hadn't done for 20 years. I wasn't just hiking--I was trying to rise above the sinking circumstances I'd been experiencing. Being with my friends was JUST what I needed! I'm glad we went on a weekday, so the trail and hot springs weren't super crowded. When we reached the top, we stopped to have lunch, then we happily soaked in a few hot pools before making our return trip back. Right before we left the hot springs, Angie partook of a substance with unknown ingredients offered by a fellow soaker. It really affected her, and as a result, it took us even longer to get down the mountain than it had to hike up! Once we finally made it back to the car, we drove into Salmon and had dinner at the newly completed Highlander (located in the old King's building on Main Street) before they drove back home to Mud Lake. It was a memorable day and I'm so grateful my friends made the trip to Salmon to spend the day with me!  

The hikers: Angie, Lidia, Rosalba, & I. 
Val and Tanis were unable to come.

This boulder reminded me of a bowling ball!