Backpacker Rose

Until We Meet Again...

2011-12-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

A smattering of photos from the last few months:

A crisp October day, perfect to walk around on Grandma's hill.

This deer wanted pears so badly it didn't care that I was standing across the yard with the camera.

Enjoying Stanley Hot Springs with Mr. Backpacker.

Bear grass flower at Heart lake in September.

Heart Lake over Labor Day weekend.

The Backpackers hiking above Mallard lake on the way home from Heart lake over Labor Day Weekend.

Hiking with friends in the Clearwater National Forest, over Boulder Creek.

Thanks to an awesome birthday present in November (Canon Rebel T3i SLR digital camera!) the photography I post from here on out should take an interesting turn while I experiment with it - that is, after I return from the world of books and internet discussions in graduate school.

Backpacker Rose will be seeing a lot more activity after I graduate in the spring of 2012...

Happy Trails Until We Meet Again!

Fourth of July Snapshots

2011-07-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

My favorite wild rose bush at my grandparent's home.

These line their property along the county road.
They smell OH so good.

Home sweet home.
My hubby and I claim this for sleeping quarters when things get tight inside the house. And even when it's not full in the house we pull this out of the garage, open up all the windows, make the bed and viola! It's nice having our own 'suite' outdoors. I get to wake up to the birds chirping and can take a little walk around outside before going in the house to say good morning!

Crossler and Eifert tents in the overflow from the house.

Keeping all of us outside helps keep grandma sane (she goes a little insane with happiness at having a yard full of grandkids and great grand kiddos).

My favorite barn circa 1910 or so...

The shiny roof always reminds me of how slick it gets in the winter...perfect for sliding off into a giant snowbank (feet first of course!).

Yellow roses by the house.
You can never pass by without sniffing.

Looking from the back fence at the barn and the Lovestead next door. It makes me so happy to know my grandparents have the best neighbors you could ask for. They put up with our 4th of July shenanigans year after year. Thank you to the Love family!

White roses next to the house.
Just like the yellow...you can't help stopping to take deep breath.

The back pond.
From here the forest awaits. Until you find two bulls fighting over one cow...in which case you high tail it back to the safety of the four wheeler and jet on outta there!

We use these to keep the bulls away.

Just kidding. The whole herd actually comes running toward the guns and fireworks we celebrate with on Independence Day and we have to chase them back toward the pond now and then.

Lake Pend Oreille from the Long Bridge on the way home.

Till we meet again lovely Sandpoint...

Planted Fish Tank Update

2011-06-03T22:05:00.000-07:00

A few recent photos of my planted fish tank experiment...

After a few months of just having the plants in the little tank, I tried out a few different types of fish. Danios were the first type - but for some reason they didn't survive. I also tried ghost shrimp and an algae eater at different times which died because of harassment from the danios. I did more research and finally picked up two small gold barbs in November 2010.

Out of the three types of plants I originally placed in the tank, only one survived. The crested java fern did well in the conditions I gave it. Every so often I'm able to separate a few leaves of the fern and I now have a whole row of java ferns in the front of the tank.

The original light bulb burnt out and I haven't been able to find a 15 watt bulb that fits in the hood (it is a pretty old model, I did get it when I was 12...). I settled for a 7 watt bulb instead. It's smaller and doesn't heat up the tank so much. Less light means that the little ferns growth is stunted a bit but in this small tank I don't mind. I'm very happy with how it has evolved!

The gold barbs are surviving wonderfully. They have grown a little bit since I first got them seven months ago. They are very energetic fish that play in the stream of water coming from the filter, race through the hole in the rock and hide in the leaves of the crested java fern in order to scare each other. I have them sitting on my desk in the living room so I can watch them while I'm doing homework. A nice natural distraction when I need a visual break from the computer screen.

One day I hope to have a larger planted tank but this little one is great practice for now. My dream is a 30 gallon bow front corner tank which will have to wait until we live in a slightly larger house of our own. :)

May Rain, Seedlings Protection, and Blooms

2011-05-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Introducing my new favorite gardening accessory:

The best part is that so far it's kitty proof!
No more chomping of my little seedlings.

We are currently living in the midst of road construction season. The top surface of our street got removed several weeks ago and then it rained and rained and rained for a few weeks. The end result was something we dubbed 'Lake Alki' - it stretched our entire block and at it's deepest it was probably 8 inches of water. Plenty of cars barreled right through, splashing mud all over!

More of Lake Alki

The cats don't care if it's raining, they get to stay inside.

Our neighbor's dog, who shares our backyard, LOVES it when Ry mows the lawn. He chases him all over, running in circles until he collapses on the deck panting.

Pretty crab apple tree blooms in the backyard.

My little prince Cupid and the apple tree. Our poor half dead christmas tree is on the deck now.

It's been a REALLY wet and cold spring so far but now that the blooms are coming out things are starting to look up!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!!

Enjoy these photos from the last few years of some of my favorite mothers...

To start the show: two of the greatest ladies in my life.

Wonderful women who raised my husband right. I love you both!

Grandma has my eternal love.

Same goes for this Grandma. I love you so much!

Thank you to my favorite aunt for always being there for me and giving great advice. You are like another mother to me!!

Thank you for always helping me...

My eldest sister was able to come to our wedding, it meant so much to have you there! You are one awesome mom and sister!

Hawaii Moms!
You three always light up a room. :)

Always up for an adventure...

Talented sister in law and our SD family - we miss you!

Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones you accept and love you for who you are.

Thank you for always being there for us, we love you!

Two favorite moms on my favorite beach. This is love.

My beautiful sister is a marvelous mom!

A great motherly moment at our wedding, I love this one.

There is nothing in the world like a sister who sets a great example of how to be a wonderful parent.

You can see the love. :)

Friends always having fun adventures with their four girls.
Growing up we always had an excursion to go on, what fun we all had packed into the car together, music turned up, windows rolled down...enjoying the moment.

The last day all three of us had the same last name...

Thank you to all Mothers that set a great example for their children, family, and friends.

Thank you for your help, opinions, friendship, support, and most of all, LOVE.

Becky's Master Bath Remodel

2011-05-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

Scenes of Hawaii

2011-02-25T21:30:00.000-08:00

Pink hibiscus outside the Waimanalo L&L

Waikiki Beach Sun

Kailua Beach morning walk

Waikiki palm trees

Yellow hibiscus outside Aloha Stadium

Aloha!

February Photos at the Property

2011-02-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of February we spent a weekend working at my Dad's property overlooking Moscow and the beautiful Palouse. For me: photo opportunity!

Two of the greatest men in my life...my hubby and my daddy!

Tomer Butte to the East

The three steadfast workers. I just documented. :)

Tomer Butte and Paradise Ridge

Moscow from the roof of my Dad's shop

Driving away from the new house and shop on top of one of our beloved Palouse hills.

This was a small glimpse into our day, I hope you enjoyed it!

Remembering The Ratties

2011-01-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

This month we lost our last little fancy rat, Mimi. Between 2005 and 2011 I managed to take care of seven different rats, each with it's own personality. We are done caring for ratties now, but I love to look back on the fun I had with them.

This post is to honor each of those little fuzzy beings.

Gwen and Greta - the two that started it all!
Summer 2005

Gwen and Greta
Spring 2005

Greta with a tasty treat
Spring 2006

Greta, Mona, and Pooky
Spring 2006

Pooky (on shelf), Xena (left), Bina (right)
Summer 2008

Mona and Bina
Summer 2008

Bina, Xena, and Mimi
Summer 2008

Mimi
Fall 2010

Christmas Eve View of Kamiak Butte

2011-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Beautiful view of Kamiak Butte from my Dad's property on Christmas Eve.

Snowshoeing Mount Spokane

2010-12-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

Driving up Mount Spokane Park Dr. to the parking area.

Trail 130 up to Bald Knob.

Mount Spokane!

A map along the trail. Now we know where we're going!

At the loop junction. It began snowing as we started up the trail. Snowshoeing in the snow is so fun! Although next time we go I hope there are clear skies so we'll have a good view.

The beaten down trail. Snowshoes and cross country skis. We met many people on the trail, some big groups and a few loners that looked like they were running on snowshoes!

Ryan loving the snow shoes.

Snow monster!

Admiring his creation - the snowshoe poles made perfect eye marks for the snow monster.

Having fun in the snow. I love every season, we always discover something to do in the outdoors! It feels so good to be wandering a new trail in the snow, it is different than in the height of summer, it feels so pristine covered in snow.

The picnic shelter on Bald Knob. There were six tables and a nice stone fireplace where you could warm up or cook a lunch. There is a nice view from this spot when it isn't snowing! We only rested for a few minutes before heading back down the trail to the car.

Ryan walks through the field on Bald Knob back to the trail.

The ski / snowboard hill we walked along coming down from the top. One part of the snowshoe trail was so steep we decided to walk over to the adjacent ski trail and walk along the edge until we hit the snow shoe trail again further down the hill. It was beautiful with a light snow coming down.

Snow scape on a tree.

Snow shoe track.

Sun through the snow.

Another portion of the ski hill adjacent to the snowshoe trail.

Suebee waiting for us back at the trail head. This car and our blizzak tires love the snow too!

Click here to watch a short video of us snowshoeing on Mount Spokane:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAeTundeAFI

Merry Christmas!
The Souzas

To Find Our Place of Being

2010-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

To Find Our Place of Being

Martin Challis

Who will lead us when we do not lead ourselves?

Who will know us when we do not know ourselves?

Who will love us when we do not love ourselves?

Who will trust us when we do not trust ourselves?

No one.

When we name what gets in our way of leading.

We find the courage to see what is true.

When we name what gets in our way of knowing.

We find the wisdom to shape our mind.

When we name what gets in our way of loving.

We find the heart open to what we feel.

When we name what gets in our way of trusting.

We find the will to move beyond our fear.

We come to find our place of being

And others know this, through us.

Souza YouTube Channels

2010-11-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

Here are the links to Ryan and my YouTube accounts where we like to post videos of our various adventures. Ryan's channel posts videos about machinery, tools and cars. Amanda's account posts videos about the outdoors, animals and other random fun.

Ry - Souz4402
http://www.youtube.com/user/souz4402

Manda - BackpackerRose
http://www.youtube.com/user/BackpackerRose

Mahalo for visiting our sites!
The Souzas

Fall Colors in Moscow

2010-10-31T21:25:00.000-07:00

The Palouse from top of the UI Arboretum.

Beautiful hodge podge of colors.

Mama and I with our favorite yellow trees.

Blanket of red.

Jaina and Noah lazing about in the red leaves.

Red leaves blanketing the ground around these trees. It was inevitable...we had to roll around in them.

Noah didn't appreciate lying in the leaves alone.

Sistas in the arboretum. Loving the colors and enjoying a walk together on a beautiful cool fall day!

I love the orange and red colors.

Jaina and baby Crossler #2!

The new babe is due April 22, 2011.

Footings for Daddy and Gail's house overlooking the marvelous Palouse.

With my Padre at the property. Great views!

A view of Moscow from the property. Can't wait to see this view again soon when the house is finished! It will be beautiful and in a perfect spot to watch the changing colors of Moscow every fall.

<3>

Grandma's Begonias

2010-09-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Begonias of many colors - whites, light pink, dark pink, red - and other pretty flowers to keep her front garden looking purdy!

The Cutting of The Lightning Tree

2010-09-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

Papa's Lightning Tree
It was hit multiple times over the years. Papa decided he wanted it cut down and Ryan with his Husqvarna chainsaw was happy to oblige him.

The stuff that looks like dust in this photo actually are the large wood chips spewing from Ryan's chainsaw. It made a massive pile of chips. What a big tree!

Photo courtesy of Mama Becky.
Me documenting the fall of the tree on video.

Photo Courtesy of Mama Becky.
The tree falls!! Papa worked his magic with an axe and wedge and scored the final blow for the tree to go down.

Ryan then proceeded to chop it to pieces...LARGE pieces. We couldn't even move them to the wood shed - Papa had to bring the wood splitter out to the field to chop these rounds up!

Ryan taking the limbs off one by one.

The cows keep a close eye on us when we're out in the field. I hear they think the sound of four wheelers mean food is coming - sorry cows, just wood for Papa and Grandma to keep warm in the snowy months!

Here are links to the videos I shot of the Lightning Tree falling and of Ryan using his chainsaw on the tree after it was on the ground:

The tree falls!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02l3qmYXLt4

Ryan chopping up the HUGE rounds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZci6_kGSBU

The Canoe Experiences Pend Oreille Lake

2010-08-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Our lovely canoe about to embark on adventures on Pend Oreille Lake the last weekend of August. It was a cloudy and cool day - perfect for donning jackets and going for a cruise with our family!

Photo Courtesy of Mama Becky.

Corey, Jeffrey, Papa & Grandma, & Uncle Guy see us off while getting into their own boats for the afternoon. Aunt Annie and Mama were already in another canoe - they couldn't wait to be on the water!

Photo Courtesy of Mama Becky.
The canoes converge for a meeting - Ryan & Mandie, Corey & Jeffrey, and Uncle Guy & Aunt Annie.

Photo Courtesy of Mama Becky.
Oh! We've been spotted, paddle, paddle, paddle to split up! :)

Sun on the lake after a cloudy day.

We borrowed a small motor from Papa & Grandma's boat and made our way across a channel to this shoreline. Great views along the way - it was exciting to have my camera out the whole time instead of paddling across the water.

Floating and happy about it.

Heading back to the dock with our awesome canoe. You can see Scotchman Peaks in the distance! What a beautiful place to hang out with the family and make some great memories on the water.
<3

Idaho

2010-08-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Josh Ritter - Moscow, Idaho

New Planting Experiment

2010-08-21T18:08:00.001-07:00

I have had this little 2 gallon tank for a long time. I also have not used it in a long time. During our move to Greenacres I rediscovered it and decided to have a mini aquarium with live plants! I have not worked with aquatic plants before, so I decided to give it a go. Once conditions stabilize and the plants start to thrive, I hope to had a tiny colony of small fish. I'm still deciding on exactly what type - Zebra Danio, Bumblebee Goby, or White Cloud Minnows? Decisions, decisions... I will keep the blog updated with the status of my mini tank aquatic environment experiment!

The plants I used are: Crested Java Fern (right), Peacock Fern (back) and Aqua Fern (left).
I also found a nice lava rock for decoration and hopefully entertainment for the fish to come. I already had the little blue rocks. I thought a little color (my wedding colors actually!) would add that extra touch to the tank.

Horses Seen From Our Living Room!

2010-08-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Greenacres is a nice area - we can see horses from our front window! :)

Neigh!

Mountain Biking on Moscow Mountain

2010-07-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

We love to mountain bike on our Specialized bikes! On a beautiful sunny Saturday while we were still in Moscow we decided to go for a joy ride through a cedar forest on Moscow Mountain.

Ry and Manda on the trail!

Old logging road, now biking trail.

Ryan coasting downhill.

Daisy meadow.

Daisy meadow and beautiful trees.

Ryan and his awesome bike.

The cabin - you can reserve it to spend the night on Moscow Mountain!

Inside the cabin.

Bikes in the back of SueBee.

Goodbye Moscow Mountain!

Waimanalo, Hawaii Wedding Day

2010-05-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Distraction

2010-04-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

As you have noticed, I have not been very active on the blog the last few months. I am in the midst of planning our wedding and have been distracted by thoughts of this:

Waimanalo, Oahu

We'll be married on that Hawaiian beach in 42 days!
May 29, 2010

We are also very excited to hike on the Kuliouou Ridge Trail (these photos were taken at the "end of the trail" in 2008) with family and friends! It will be quite the adventure and you should fully expect to see it documented on this blog!

Posts will be few and far between until later this summer. :)
xoxo

Roses

2010-02-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Till Time shall work him a cure...

2010-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

For my Great Uncle Raymond and
Aunt Wendy (RIP 1/27/2010).

The Widower

For a season there must be pain-

For a little, little space

I shall lose the sight of her face,

Take back the old life again

While she is at rest in her place.

For a season this pain must endure,

For a little, little while

I shall sigh more often than smile

Till Time shall work me a cure,

And the pitiful days beguile.

For that season we must be apart,

For a little length of years,

Till my life's last hour nears,

And, above the beat of my heart,

I hear Her voice in my ears.

But I shall not understand-

Being set on some later love,

Shall not know her for whom I strove,

Till she reach me forth her hand,

Saying, "Who but I have the right?"

And out of a troubled night

Shall draw me safe to the land.

-- Rudyard Kipling

All About Zeke

2010-01-10T09:58:00.001-08:00

Zeke, the Christmas Kitty.

Zeke, the tummy rubbing beggar.

Zeke lives with my Aunt & Uncle. And loves to lounge on people's laps, hands, feet, knees...anything human. He is a snuggling machine.

He is also mighty photogenic.

To say Zeke is well loved is an understatement. :)

The Boys

2009-12-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

My snuggling Christmas kitties, Cupid & Alvin.

Christmas Flashback

2009-12-20T11:26:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!

Thanksgiving Buck

2009-11-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

This buck showed up in Papa & Grandma's raspberry patch on Thanksgiving day.

He gave us some nice views...

And then he started chewing on the raspberry bushes. All Corey could say was "GET AWAY FROM MY RASPBERRIES DEER!!!"

Pink Christmas Cactus

2009-11-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

Pretty pretty flowers on my little Christmas Cactus. I guess I have a happy plant living in my house--it is covered in bright pink buds. It will be brilliant once all the blooms start to unfold at once!

Noah and Cupid Playing

2009-10-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Noah and my Mama came up to our house on Oct. 12th while she was babysitting him for the evening. He had a fun time following Cupid around with his straw! I think Cupid had a good time as well.

Kitties and babies are so cute!!!

October Mornings

2009-10-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure, a few of my shots off my balcony! Living on a hill gives me plenty of opportunities to wake up with the sun. I love watching the trees change colors everyday from the balcony even though it's getting colder. Soon I'll have to drink my morning tea just inside the glass door for fear of freezing toes.

October 13, 2009
Foggy Morning

7:45am
Fingers of fog drape over the fall trees in Moscow.

8:00 a.m.
BAM! All of a sudden, you can only see the trees in front of our balcony. Fog is misting everything outside with a cold, wet layer.

Our view of campus...where?!?

8:15 a.m.
There is the UI campus! This was a fast moving fog, it pirouetted through Moscow in a flash.

I love the look of fog settled among the hills. It reminds me of driving along "The Shadowy St. Joe" River late at night and seeing the fog roll in the river valley. A few minutes after this there was no fog in sight!

8:30 a.m.
No fog! Just sunshine. It turned out to be a lovely sunny fall day.

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October 17, 2009
Sunrise

Sometimes I am lucky enough to be awakened by the early morning sun through our bedroom window and see a sight like this above Paradise Ridge. Beautiful pink! I ran for my camera when I saw the pink sky as I woke up on Saturday morning at 6:40 a.m.

Tomer Butte peaks over the 'A' Street hill with the brilliant cloud display for only those who are awake at sunrise. I think I learned to be this crazy in Australia (thanks MAMA! hehe).

Pink Palouse. Perfect for Breast Cancer Awareness month!

A few minutes later the pink rays of sun vanished and only the wispy clouds remained.

Good morning sun!

Now back to bed....it was SATURDAY after all! :)

UI Vandals v. UH Warriors in the Kibbe Dome!

2009-10-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

23-35

Wow!

UI Marching Band plays the Vandal Fight Song!

Vandals are now 6-1!!! This hasn't happened in a LONG time...before I graduated from high school! Playing against Hawaii was especially fun for us because Ryan's parents were watching the game at home on the islands. We went to the game with Ricky, Kerry, Charlie, Andy, and Jaina; Corey and Jeffrey met us there. It's been a long time since I went to a home game (I think the last time was when Hawaii more than tripled the score against UI). It was great to go with a group and enjoy the game.

Noah and I hanging out before the game. We made hot dogs and sausages for lunch!! Then Grandmas Paula and Becky came to babysit Noah so we could walk over to the Dome for the game.

Andy and Ryan grilling the cheese dogs (NOM NOM) and smoked sausages. It was a good lunch to get us ready to cheer on the Vandals!

Warriors warming up on the field.

Vandal dog of the game from the Humane Society of the Palouse!

Molly was the vandal dog of the game at the UI v UH game, you can view her and other animals at HSoP at www.petfinder.com!
http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=14699920&mtf=1

Molly
Breed: Saint Bernard St. Bernard [Mix] Sex: Female Age: Senior Size: Large
About Me: Molly needs a loving home that she can enjoy the rest of her years in. She has been passed around and pretty much hasn't had the care she deserves. She is a sweet dog, but when she came to us she was about 25 pounds under weight and was loosing her hair because her fleas were so bad. She is on her way to recovery but still has a long way to go on the the weight gain and hair growth. If you have a nice comfortable home that needs a big couch potato then this dog is for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now back to the game......

The players & Coach Rob Akey enter the Kibbe Dome with pride and lots of smoke!

Both teams on the field just before the start of the game.

Jaina, Mandie, & Corey on the field after the game.

The University of Idaho marching band doing the Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance after the game. Good job guys!

Thriller dance continued.....

After we watched the marching band, we ran down onto the field to see if Jeffrey and Ryan could find a football. Alas, none were found. On the bright side Ryan did get a picture with Warrior #23, running back Leon Wright-Jackson, a senior from Pasco, WA! It was also just fun to walk about on the turf. We saw a few people we knew--gave hugs and hellos--then said aloha to Corey & Jeffrey as Ryan, Andy, Jaina and I walked home to our house on the hill to hang out and have strawberry margaritas!

What a fun filled day. I'm so thankful for days like this with my family and friends.

Ryan and UH player #23, what a nice guy!
Oh, look! There's Jeffrey too, haha. You guys are silly.

What an awesome day we had; two great teams will meet once again. I can't wait for next time.

Great game!
GO VANDALS!! GO WARRIORS!!

Grandma Doris' Flowers

2009-10-11T21:26:00.001-07:00

These photos are from a few weeks ago...before it started to be below freezing at night (say it ain't so!). Frost and chilly mornings are upon us.

Flower photos remind me that it will one day be warm again! Grandma has now safely tucked her begonias in the house to wait out the winter.

Enjoy!

My mama's favorite flower...the purple pansy!

White begonia. Grandma loves tubular begonias in every color. This year she found white, red, light pink and dark pink.

The red begonia.

Purple ruffled petunia. Say that three times fast!

A single clematis flower picked out from the herd.

The dark pink begonia. Notice the flower's friend in the background? I did not when I took this picture; I was too focused on the flower!

I love pansies too, Mama! The look so soft and inviting...the perfect kind of fairyland home for one of my childhood stories.

Light pink tubular begonias.

The cascades of purple clematis adorn either side of the tool shed door. I love them! The tool shed looks like it's been painted when these beauties bloom.

Grandma Doris and I hanging out among the flowers when it was still warm and sunny. Wait...I should not be dwelling on the freeze...keep looking at flower photos...pretend winter is not creeping up on me...just keep looking at the flowers...hmmm.

Until next time!

Heart Lake Backpacking Trip 2009

2009-09-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

For the past four years Ryan and I have spent our Labor Day hiking to Heart Lake in the Mallard Larkins Wilderness of Idaho.

In two posts and one video post I've shared our fun weekend, enjoy!

Here is a satellite view of our Labor Day backpacking destination of the last four years. On this map you can't see Sawtooth Saddle trail head where we park our cars and then hike 8 miles up the mountain to Heart Lake. On the way we pass Northbound Lake. From there we climb 700 feet in 2 miles up to Heart Lake. You can also see Crag Lake to the left of Heart Lake in the pic above. Ryan proposed at the look out above Crag lake one year ago!!

This year Ryan, George, Brittany, and I decided to hike to our favorite spot again.

This photo makes it easier to see the topography of the hike. Northbound lake is on the left and Heart lake is on the right. We climb switchbacks up Northbound lake's drainage creeks and then up around the back of the mountain top towering above Heart lake. Then we drop into Heart lake from trail 65 in the Mallard-Larkins Wilderness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Beginning.

Field burning on the Coeur d'Alene Reservation.

The St. Joe River!!
I could stare into the crystal clear water for hours....

I'm from Idaho. I like clouds.

Beaver Creek Bridge.
This is where we leave the Red Ives Ranger Road and head up...to huckleberry country!

Beaver Creek bridge before we start the 26 mile drive up to Sawtooth Saddle trail head, from where we take trail 111 down to Sawtooth Creek the next morning. At this point we are usually driving in the dark. Ryan and I got here early and waited for George & Brittany to catch up. We left to drive to the trail head about 45 minutes before they showed up...but that turned out to be a good move on our part.

Luckily we got ahead of the horse trailers that they got stuck behind. Some guy's truck obviously couldn't pull his horse trailer up the inclines and stopped in the middle of the road while they had to wait for a half hour for him to move (George said his dash looked like "Christmas Lights" because there were so many warning lights blinking). About an hour after they made it past the horse trailers to Sawtooth Saddle the horse trailers arrived and shone their headlights right into both our pick ups where we were sleeping. They were drunk and rude. The next morning they were more civil because they weren't intoxicated but still uppity because they had horses and we just had our packs. We were glad to leave them behind at the saddle.

We made it up to the saddle around 9:45 p.m., so the first pictures I got were early the next morning as the sun slowly crept up over the mountain tops. This photo is looking in the general direction of Heart Lake.

Sawtooth Creek, the first of four river crossings until we start up the mountain toward Northbound lake. It was FREEZING cold. We had our river shoes to walk across and every one of us could not feel our feet by the time we got to the other side. It took a minute of stamping your feet to get the numb feeling to go away. That's what you call Idaho mountain water!

Sawtooth creek was so cold that we tried hopping from rock to rock at the other three creek crossings. Sometimes that is more difficult than it seems...especially if you have the shortest legs. (Sorry Britty, I had to. hehe.) We all made it with only a few more cold toes to deal with.

A moth landed on my arm, so it was time for super macro mode! It stayed there long enough for me to get the camera out, change the mode and take a few pictures. When I was done I had to blow the moth away...it liked me too much!

This year, more than any other I remember, there were mushrooms of every shape and size all over the forest and trail. It must have been a wet year?

Fawn Lake.
The "little" hike to a beautiful lake that Daddy took Gail, Jodi, Trevor, Tyler, Telynn, Corey and I on several years ago.
Shall we go back?
:)

Ryan and George pumping cold water through the water filter to drink as we climb. The next time we will pump water will be at Northbound lake.

We follow Heart Pass Trail no. 65 from Northbound Creek Trail no. 111. My Daddy gets to be looking at these signs (maybe not these exact ones, but similair) in a week while he's up in the Mallards hunting for Elk. I am jealous. :)

Awesome orange mushrooms along the trail.

Thimbleberries! Sort of like wild raspberries.

The BEST mushrooms we found along the trail. They look as if they are from a Mario video game! The colors were bright and vibrant.

Northbound Lake.

It started drizzling while we rested at Northbound so we decided it was time to solider on up the last 2 miles to Heart Lake. This photo was taken as we climb the switchbacks up to trail 65.

Heart Pass Trail marker, still on the ground after the snow pulled it down a few years ago.

Can you see Mr. Marmot? He blends in so well with the rocks! Marmots burrow among the rocks (also where they hibernate through the winter) and love to sun bath on the rocks. He sits around all day eating all the lovely vegetation around him. I envy his home in this beautiful forest.

Mr. Marmot froze as we passed on the trail. Perfect for a zoomed in photo! His coloring matches the granite rocks that make up the whole mountain, he can blend in just about anywhere.

Northbound Lake.
This year our trip was accompanied by lots of grey rain clouds. For a moment the sun was shining down at Northbound while we were getting misted by the mountain rain.

The trail up to the Heart Lake cutoff. One year it was acting as a stream, at least this year it was mostly dry. The big rocks are loose so navigating it is always interesting.

We met some donkey/horse packers right before the cutoff trail. It's always best (if you have the chance) to take off the packs and move away from the trail so as not to startle the stock. One time a few years ago another horse packer told us the protocol very nicely. He said the packs tend to make you look like an alien to the horses and they immediately assume you are a predator. If you take your backpack off and give the horse some room to walk by they do just fine.

Horse packing a human. This group was headed to the rock/stream trail you saw above. I could not imagine riding a horse down that rocky slope, that would be one scary ride!!

Heart Lake water is so beautiful. It was rippling just right the night we arrived to our favorite camp site. We were the only ones at the lake for quite awhile so we got the best camping spot at the lake. Later on in the afternoon another backpacking group set up camp down the shoreline.

Last year everything was green. This year it looks more like it has in the past. The fall colors of the mountain brush reflect on the lake and paint a watercolor. Because of the clouds and occasional rain drop my pictures do not do the lake justice this year.

Happy feet.

Our camp on night one (the only night we stayed at the lake), of our Labor Day backpacking trip. The four of us have matching tents! Our tent is about four years old now so in the next couple years we hope to get an awesome (aka, bigger) backpacking tent. This one works perfect for now though.

Heart Lake Trip to be continued...

Heart Lake Weekend - Part Two

2009-09-12T09:17:00.001-07:00

Good Morning!

This is what we saw on Sunday morning...well, pretty much nothing. We were shrouded in fog and mountain clouds. We could barely see the edge of lake water from the tent when we woke at 7 a.m.

Brrrrrrrr. It was so cold in the morning!

A good camp fire always helps the morning chills.

Our camp in the morning, with Heart Lake hidden by the drizzling fog.

I wandered out to the lake edge and snapped a few pictures soon after I woke up. The fog was really thick, you couldn't even see halfway across the lake, only to the point just down the shoreline. It was around this time that the hikers became split in what to do--hike out the 8 miles to the trucks today or wait it out in the rain all day by the lake? Eventually the boys won out and we packed up our wet belongings to hike down the mountain. We all donned our rain jackets and covered our backpacks with rain flys and started on the trail once again.

A few hours later as we packed our gear, the fog lifted but the low clouds still stuck around. We could see most of the lake for the first time in hours! Once the fog lifted it started a continual rain. I still love the colors of the lake in the rain, it's so beautiful!

Ryan, George, and Brittany have matching rain flys on their Vaude backpacks. Mine is the only blue one. This makes good photo ops for me! This was near the same spot we had seen the marmot the day before.

Brittany, George, Mandie, & Ryan at Sawtooth Creek before we hike up 1700 feet in two miles back to Sawtooth Saddle and our trucks. We decided to document it before climbing for a seemingly endless amount of time. The trail just keeps going up, up, up!

Looking back down the trail and back towards the Heart Lake area.

Clouds above the mountains.

A chipmunk that became interested in me as I slowly went up the switchbacks.

A sage grouse that wouldn't move off the road as we left Sawtooth Saddle.

The view on our drive out of the Mallard Larkins Wilderness.

We drove down near the Red Ives Ranger Station and found a great place to camp at Line Creek Stock Camp. We already had our mattresses in the backs of the trucks from our night at the trailhead, so we parked the trucks as close to the camp fire as we could and spent Sunday night next to the St. Joe river. It was nice to listen to the river every time I woke up during the night. We pretty much had the whole campground to ourselves, there was only one other camp with stock at the other end of the campground.

The St. Joe River around 6:30 a.m.

It was very cold that morning.
Time for a fire!

Boiling water for hot morning tea and breakfast oatmeal. That always warms me up.

Daisies!!!

Bye bye stock camp! In the post below you can see the videos of Ryan and George exiting our camp site. It was an adventure!

The foot bridge near Turner Flats that Ryan jumped off a few years ago. Alas, it was too cold for me to jump off this time. ;)

The magnificent St. Joe. I am in love.

Near Moscow again. The fields are harvested and things are begining to don their fall colors. It is beautiful but I'm sad to see summer leaving us.

In the year ahead we have many exciting events in store. I'll be posting about many of them. Hopefully one of them is a lot more time in the forests next summer!

xoxo

Tough Trucks Break Camp

2009-09-09T22:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of Ryan driving his truck out of the stock camp we camped at next to the St. Joe river on Sunday night of Labor Day weekend. His F150 is quite a bit wider than George's Toyota, so he had to build a little boost with river rocks so he could make it back up the embankment and over the giant rock in the middle of the trail. The Toyota just fit through the opening in the trail, so the silver truck glided right on up. The video of George's truck making it back up to the "real" parking area is below, showing off the brand new tires!!

First Planting Bed & Organizing the Garage

2009-08-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

Now that we've been in the new house for nearly 2 months things are starting to come together. Tonight I planted a pretty garden bed with shade-loving ground cover plants! The planting bed is right next to our front porch, along the sidewalk and right in front of Andy & Jaina's living room window. Because it's in front of their window I didn't want to plant anything that would block their view so I decided on some interesting ground covers.

Ryan has been working on getting the garage organized. For weeks now he has been sorting, hanging up peg boards, shelving, and building his new work benches. We want to put my car in the garage this winter so we don't have to scrap ice & snow off the car every time we need to go somewhere...I am looking forward to it VERY much. I've never had a garage that my car can actually go in before so this is quite the exciting prospect!

The SueBee will sit right here warm and cozy when it's all white outside.

Ryan's work side of the garage is coming together too. The big machine is on it's new table, peg board is up for small tool easy access, and the snowshoes are safe up on the high walls! Eventually the new work benches will go along the wall as well.

Front view into the garage. The light in the back that was abandoned here is working out pretty well next to the back peg board. It'll be awhile before I know where things belong in here but I'm loving the way it's looking now!

Now....let's move on to my beautiful plants! :)

Here is the front of the house. It looks so much better than it did when we started this project. I found so many weird things in the dirt: nails, roofing pieces, legos, mini matchbox cars, christmas lights, guitar picks, beer caps, and more! Hopefully by next summer the ground covers will have spread over all the dirt and all you will see is GREEN!!

Closer photo of the rows.
The rock border is made up of river rocks Ryan and I collected. The cinder block trail to the hose storage area is made from remnants of Ryan's old "cave man style" book shelf that he had for years at the Cherry Street house.

Row #1: Hens and Chicks, a succulent plant that does well in dry, sunny conditions.

Row #2 & 3: Thyme, an herb as well as a ground cover that blooms dainty little pink or white flowers. The light green is "Variegated Thyme" and the darker green is "Woolly Thyme."

Row #4: Lamium, a ground cover with silvery white foliage and white flowers in the spring. It is very hardy in shade/part sun, and it drought tolerant so if I forget to water it it will be A-OK!

Row #5, next to the garage: Birch Hybrid Bellflower: Interesting new purple flowering plant that I just had to try out once I saw it at the nursery! It is also a ground cover, although it grows a little taller than the other I picked out.

In the back right corner you can see my "Sweet Mint Geranium" from last summer. It does not flower like other geraniums, but if you rub the leaves it smells slightly of sweet mint.

Closer view of my little river rocks & the cinder block trail.

Hens & Chicks: Pretty first row succulent.
Technically this is the "chick" of the Hens & Chicks plant. Brittany and George have a whole bunch in the garden beds in front of their house and kindly gave me some little "chicks" to start my own plants. Thanks Britt & George, the hens and chicks will look great next to the sidewalk!

Woolly Thyme.
When you get closer to the plant you can see the fuzzy leaves which give it it's name. They say once thyme is more established in your bed if you walk on it the smell of thyme fills the air, yum! When this one flowers I have a hunch they will be petite and white.

Variegated Thyme.
This type of thyme does not have little fuzzy leaves, but rather smooth ones that vary from almost white to light green. I believe this variety will have tiny pink flowers once it's roots are established. I only bought 6 plants of thyme total, but was able to plant 12 by separating the "pots" into two plants! The guy at the plant nursery told me that thyme is so hardy that you are able to split it like that without harming it.
Economical plants, yes!

Lamium or "Dead Nettle"
Another great ground cover that is hardy and spreads easily. These grow to be 5 or so inches tall, with leaves spreading as far as they can. My Dad & Gail gave me 4 plants when they moved out of their house in July and I found the perfect use for them! These also flower in the spring with colors ranging from white to medium pink.
Thank you Daddy & Mom!

Birch Hybrid Bellflower
I picked these two plants up randomly at Crossroads Nursery on the Pullman Hwy. They grow to be 6-8 inches tall so I placed them next to the garage wall where they will not block Andy & Jaina's window. I'm also hoping they will camouflage the gas line termination in the middle of the bed, it will look much nicer when you can't see the metal post!

My poor little mint plant that I bought at Renaissance Fair back in May. I wasn't sure that it was going to keep surviving in it's pot so I stuck it in the corner. We will just have to see how it does. You know what they say: it's hard to kill mint.

A few days ago I was able to re pot my half-price Hydrangea bushes into their large pots! The one on the left is a pink variety and the one on the right is a blue variety. So far I've seen a lot of flowers from the pink one and a lot of foliage from the blue one. In the middle of the Hydrangeas are my 2 year old chives!

My dinky little tomato plant. It is "100 sweet" or something similar, it is suppose to grow small, very sweet tomatoes in clumps. I started it in this pot pretty late in the season so I might get some tomatoes if I bring the pot inside once frost arrives (no, no! I did NOT just say that! No thinking about frost for the next 2 months!!!).

Beautiful tomato flower.
I may not like to eat raw tomatoes, but I love growing them!!

I think I'll set a chair out here and watch my little garden grow.

Oh wait, I have other things to get done around here? yes...

More plants, ground tilling and yard work on the way!!
xoxo

Humane Society of the Palouse: Wag, Wine & Woof Video

2009-08-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

The first annual wine tasting and silent auction for the Humane Society of the Palouse took place yesterday, August 1, 2009. It was a great event for all involved. I arranged this video to play in the silent auction area for everyone to see.

Thank to for the donations by businesses and individuals, board members, and friends of the humane society.

And I want to say thank you to Ryan, who helped out with the entire event; set up, serving wine, and clean up. I love you!

Enjoy the video!

Fourth of July Fun!

2009-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have finally had a free morning to go through the 4th of July pictures I took at Papa & Grandma's house, whew! It's been busy around here. Jaina, Andy, Noah, and Caitlin joined us for the celebrations, it was so fun to have everyone at the farm!

Trimmings from the pine trees by the driveway. Once we piled the branches in the pasture, the cows stampeded and smashed our once towering pile of tree clippings to a lowly little heap.

One of the stampeding culprits. MOO!

The back pond, you can see the big tire bird nest for geese.

Driving down the spillway.

Ryan and his chainsaw clearing the trail through Papa's forest.

Andy and Ryan with the wood we had just loaded.

Our wood, cows, and Schweitzer in the background.

The baby cows were running along with the four wheelers!

Andy and Ryan shooting in the pasture.

Papa, Jaina, & Noah watching target practice. Noah had his ear plugs in and enjoyed the show!

Ryan shooting his musket rifle. It's the loudest gun!!

I like to shoot it too!

Musket balls!

Andy and the glow sticks.

Corey and Caitlin watching fire works with Aunt Annie's pretty blanket.

The finale.

The back of the truck on the drive home...it was fully loaded with logs that will be our bed frame sometime soon!

Bye bye Selle Road! See you again soon!

Pend Oreille Lake from the Long Bridge on the way home.

Of course I can't go without posting silly pictures of the kitties! Here is Alvin after we got home from Papa & Grandma's house. He did not move for 5 minutes straight.

Cupid lounging on the awesome floor in the dining room.

Pretty orange flower that I later found out is a "weed," but it's so cute!

Until next time...

Home Sweet Home with Furballs

2009-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Tomer Butte & Paradise Ridge Rainbow
July 5th

Paradise Ridge & Moscow

I love the view from our new home!

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When we told the kitties they would be moving up the hill, this is the reaction I got from Alvin:

What was that? What did you say?

Does this mean I'll have to give up my mattress throne from where I can observe all my servants at once?

NEVER! You'll have to drag me out of here!
....wait....it's not that difficult to drag me...

Cupid was so baffled by the news he lost interest in his toy. He's never lived anywhere besides the shelter and Cherry street so the move was a WHOLE new experience for him.

Here he is checking out the new place from a safe spot--the bed. For the first several days I would consistently find him on the bed because it was something he recognized from home.

Bina and Mimi were sniffing hard trying to figure out what was going on. The ratties got downgraded to the smaller cage because there are only two of them now and this cage has better ventilation which I'm hoping will help Bina's wheezing problem. So far they seem pretty satisfied with their new home.

After a week or two everyone started to settle in to our new home. The cats have their own new schedule--which includes waking up at 4am with the birds outside the new sky-level windows and thundering up and down the hallway to wake up Andy & Jaina below us.
:)

Alvin is quite fond of the balcony....but we have to keep an eye on this crazy kitty when he is outside. At any moment he can snap and off he'd be to chase a butterfly or something. I'm not sure that he would actually jump from the balcony but I wouldn't put it past him if we aren't observing him!

I think they've adjusted for the most part. They love to sit on the balcony with me in the morning and play balance beam to scare me half to death. I had to post this picture because if you look very closely, you can see Alvin's tongue sticking out!

We have a lot more work to do on the place but we are already loving our new home.

Until next time....
xoxo

MIA Manda

2009-06-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

The blog is on hiatus until the Internet and some sense of normalcy return to my life.

Moving is a good thing but oh so tiring!!!

Flowers & Photoshop

2009-05-30T19:33:00.001-07:00

We went on a nice walk today up to the park on Residence street and back down the trail that goes past our (almost) new house. I found LOTS of flowers along the way and utilized the super macro mode on the new tiny camera, taking pictures of every bloom.

Enjoy!

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This last photo I captured a week ago at my Grandma Doris' house. One of her cherry trees is in full bloom with the honey bees helping pollinate the fruit!

First Canoe

2009-05-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

"Everyone must believe in something.
I believe I'll go canoeing."
~ Henry David Thoreau
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Introducing our new 17-foot canoe!

Thank you Joann & Paul, this canoe will be traveling many more miles in northwest lakes and rivers. Our first test run in Moose Creek Reservoir went really well and we're excited for the opportunities the new boat holds for outdoor adventures.

Right after we brought it home from Joann's backyard we set it on sawhorses in the backyard at Cherry street and got the garden hose ready.

Ryan did all the scrubbing. I had a humane society board meeting that night and supervised in my high heels while documenting the canoe bath with a camera (tehehe).

Half cleaned canoe! Just starting to see it's potential. We have grand plans for this boat...repair some of the fiberglass damage on the bottom and give it an awesome paint job. The exact design is yet to be completely determined as we seem to have artistic differences but when we decide it will look like a mean green water machine! :)

Washing out the spider nests. YUCK!

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After it's bath......TA DA!
The canoe looks awesome in Moose Creek!

Ryan picked up Corey and Jeffery from across the reservoir. They parked on the opposite side and radio-ed us while we were paddling on the far side of the water. We paddled back, dropped George, Brittany, and I off at our dock and Ryan paddled across to grab the visitors.

Corey gets to paddle! She had a big smile on her face.

Ahhhh my new favorite seat.

George on the orange kayak.

The campers paddling and fishing in the new canoe.
(Ryan, Brittany, Paris the boat doggie, George, & Mandie)

Time to go. It was sad leaving the beautiful spot but we'll be back soon to launch the canoe over and over again.

Jeffery and Corey like the canoe...I like how it looks on Ryan's big tough green truck! ;)

More pictures of our Memorial Day adventures to come soon!

Yellow May Flowers

2009-05-23T18:26:00.001-07:00

Yellow flowers make me smile.
It's contagious!
I love spring.

More to come soon...

Fuzzy Friday

2009-04-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

My big kitty Cupid.

He follows me around to make sure I'm doing everything correctly.

He likes the packing paper.

Cupid also likes attacking the paper and tearing it into pieces. He gets really excited when I rustle the paper around and play with him. His excitement manifests itself in viciously attacking the paper like a lion kitty.

MEOW!

To Find Spring Backpacking Weather....go into Hells Canyon!

2009-04-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

Every year since 2006 Ryan and I have gone to Hells Canyon for our first backpacking trip of the season. It is warmer down in the canyon and reminds us that spring is not far behind in Moscow!

The dirt road down into Hells Canyon.

We drove through a big cloud on the way into Hells Canyon!

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Dirty suebee! I love my car. I am so glad Ryan talked me into this particular Forester among all the ones we looked at in Portland last August because it never lets us down and takes us so many awesome places!

When we got to the trail head everything was very wet and misty. Once we hiked for a few miles everything cleared up and it ended up being a beautiful weekend.

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Nice rock trail/slope. Climbing out of the Pittsburgh Landing valley area.

Pittsburgh Landing on the Snake River
The trailhead is in the the valley in the distance. This is the last view of the valley we have on the trail before it winds behind the cliffs.

The views in Hells Canyon are spectacular. Especially when there is a certain hawaiian backpacker leading the way.

Ryan and I above Kirkwood.

It's such a pretty place!

Grace Jordan, a homesteader from the 1930s, wrote a book about Kirkwood! It's called "Home Below Hells Canyon," click HERE to read more about it! It is a good book. A snapshot of life on a sheep ranch in the early 1930s that I enjoyed very much.

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These are the original buildings from the 1930s. The far building is the main house (complete with concrete tub made with ancient ash from Mount Mazuma), and the closer building is the old bunk house, but now it is a museum with old farming artifacts and interesting local facts.

This is the sign down by the river that all the jet boaters see when they go flying by!

Some of the old farming equipment on display at Kirkwood.

Daffodils

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We brought glow sticks from the dollar store with us for entertainment!

Can you smell dinner cooking?

Actually it's just hot water for dinner, but I love the jetboil just the same for all the warm meals it has provided us with.

Candle lantern and Burts Bees Res-Q!

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Waiting for the sun to shine into the canyon in the morning. It hit our campsite around 10 a.m!

Pretty pink flowers on the trail homeward.

One of the long stretches of trail along the canyon walls before it dips into a valley full of flowers again.

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A few of the wild animals we saw in Hells Canyon:

These guys were right alongside the dirt road we took through the Nez Perce national forest into the Hells Canyon Rec area.

Don't step on the snails!!!

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This was my Easter present from God.

These little dudes were one of the last things I saw on the trail out of Hells Canyon. So curious about us but obedient to their masters and stayed put where they were told to. They remind us how much we want our own little trail dogs someday. One day the stars will align and we'll be trucking down the trail with furry pals. Until that day I can look at pictures of all the dogs I have met on trails over the past years and oogle at their cute little faces.

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Hells Canyon trip: BIG SUCCESS!

Where will the next trip be?

Oregon coastline in June?!

Stay tuned.

Backpacking Mood Time

2009-04-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

It's almost that time of the year again!

In anticipation of backpacking season I've been looking at trail photos from the last few years. Some (oh, wait, there are a TON, so it may take awhile to read: BEWARE!) of my favorites are sprinkled throughout this post....You'll probably notice that I spent some quality time with photoshop over the weekend.

It's sunny and beautiful on the Palouse, and I love to take advantage of it! The next few days are suppose to be in the 60s and sunny! It's what I've been waiting for. On Sunday I started some seeds: spinach, lettuce, cucumber, and sweet orange peppers. Only time will tell how these early little seedlings will fare. I planted all the seeds in pots, so I can bring them inside if it gets too cold. The pepper pot will stay inside with those delicate little seeds, but I think the spinach will be ok outside as long as it doesn't frost.....If I bring the plants inside I'll have to lock the cats out of the bathroom so they won't dig in the pots, but I think we can handle that.

I can't wait until the seeds sprout and I have a little more greenery to enterain myself with!

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Hiking Trails
Favorite Photos
2006-2009

Kamiak Butte in Washington
May 2008

We spent a day on Kamiak Butte the day after we lost our kitty Hugo last June, it was very relaxing and healing to be up on the butte all by ourselves. We did a lot of cloud watchin. It was beautiful.

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Our first trip this year (and for the past 3 years) will be in Hells Canyon. We're crossing our fingers that the weather will cooperate this coming weekend! It's a great early spring hike before the rattlesnakes and intense heat come out for the summer.

Hells Canyon
Idaho trail along the canyon wall
April 2008

Hells Canyon
April 2008

This part of the trail is one of my favorites, it meanders through some pretty open meadows and valleys in between sections on the canyon cliffs.

Hells Canyon 5 Mile Marker
April 2008

Hells Canyon
April 2008

One of my pretty little meadows with the trail seeming to stretch for miles.

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I love hiking in Hawaii!!
We make it a goal to try a new trail every time we are on the island.

Maunawili Trail on the windward side of Oahu
December 2007

Kuliouou Ridge Trail
June 2008
Ko'olau Moutain Range

It was pretty scary from the top. You could see right off the edge of the Ko'olau mountains. It was also very windy with not much to hang onto besides the "end of trail" sign. We stayed for a few minutes to snap photos and then we were outta there!

Here are some of the pretty views:

The dirt you see is the end of the trail.

The Ko'olau Mountain Range above Waimanalo.

End of the Kuliouou Trail!

The Mokoula islands of Kailua beach are small in the background.

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One of our favorite places to hike is in the St. Joe wilderness to Heart Lake. From the first time we took a 10 mile detour while hiking on trail 65, (read about it in my first post, "Heart Lake Expedition"), we have loved the challenge and mystery this forest holds. It also helps when there are tons of huckleberrys waiting to be harvested by purple hands. :)

Wearing sandals in between the 4 crossings of Sawtooth creek.

"Make your own trail" while crossing Sawtooth Creek.

August 2008

Backpackers hiking out from Heart Lake.

September 2008

Heart Lake cutoff trail from trail 65 ridge.

August 2008

The best Heart Lake camp is kind of in the middle of the trail that winds it's way to the very edge of the lake where the cliffs meet the water.

September 2008

The trail coming down from trail 65 goes across a few rock slides. The trail is well worn ito the rocks but this is the view down to the lake off the side of the trail!
August 2008

The same Heart Lake cutoff trail going across a rock slide. You can see my pink shirt in the background!

September 2006

Another shot of the trail worn into the rock slides along the Heart Lake basin.

August 2008

Puddles in the trail. Pack horses also use this trail so parts of it are sometimes destroyed and fill with water. The puddles were fun to jump over!

September 2008

This is the view leaving Sawtooth Saddle trailhead after a few days of backpacking in the St. Joe.

September 2008

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Moose Creek Reservoir

February 2009

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Elk Creek Falls

Idaho

August 2008

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Cook Lake

North Idaho

August 2008

My family navigating a canoe (with wheels!) down the rocky 4x4 trail on the way back to the truck after a nice day of canoe and fishing fun.

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Wenaha River Canyon

Oregon

June 2008

We saw 3 rattlesnakes here...eeeekkk!

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Stanley Hot Springs

Clearwater National Forest

Hiking back out to the car from the Hot Springs on a hot summer day.

July 2008

Leaving the hot springs on a very rainy May day

May 2007

Water trail across Boulder Creek to Stanley Hot springs

July 2008

Beautiful trail photo in the Clearwater National Forest, with Boulder Creek in the valley below.

July 2008

It was so pretty I had to put up a second version of the same trail photo.

This is one of my favorites.

Trail goes where?
On the other side of the Hot springs toward Huckleberry flats.

July 2008

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I saved my most favorite photo for last.

This is at Idler's Rest preserve at the base of Moscow Mountain. This was the first day hike Ryan and I took together in the Spring of 2006 before we went full steam ahead with our backpacking obession. I love the sun coming through the Cedar trees as Ryan balances on a fallen tree.

Backpacking has been the best experience during the past few summers; I'm not sure how I would have gotten through some of the most major college decisions and events without the time in the forests to recuperate and rejuvenate my body, mind, and spirit. I plan to continue this way as long as I can put one foot in front of the other.

These trail pictures are nice, but the real thing cannot be replaced. The photos still bring a smile to my face every time I remember our trips into the wilderness.

Snowshoe Adventure

2009-04-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

The snow falling outside my window, on the first day of April, inspired this snowshoe post.

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Not much to say about this photo except:

Snowshoes + Papa & Grandma's home
=

Warm fuzzy feelings despite the cold

2 feet of snow covering everything.

Home for 60 years in April.

I've only been here for 23 of those years.
It feels like I've been here all along.

Getting ready for our snowshoe adventure. Grandma was kind enough to have a photo shoot before we left in search of animal tracks and trees.

Snowshoes on the spillway.

We did NOT take the snowshoes over Papa's foot bridge. For some reason it feels a little risky. :)

Freezing water flowing from the spillway.

Can you see why it would be a bit risky with snowshoes on?

The only tree photo I will post. I took many (apparently I'm a tree fanatic...you should see what happened when I visited a rainforest in Australia), but this is my favorite out of the ones I took in Papa & Grandma's forest. You could see the sap flowing from high up on the tree where the truck split in two. It created lines of sap almost the entire length of the tall tree.

I'm amused by simple things.

Simple yet beautiful.

This is my attempt at playing with photoshop once again.

The back pond looks so cold!

Another photoshop adventure. Looks misty!

A very nice person lives here.

Can you guess who?

Eventually we had to tear ourselves away from the forest to head back home.

I admit that I dawdled the entire way, stopping to take pictures and breath in the lovely air.

Papa's raspberry bushes still buried in snow.

The snow was so deep that we snowshoed right over the top of the fence into the raspberry patch. I hadn't done that in quite some time. I think the last time must have been on Papa's wooden cross country skis with Corey.

Old farm equipment....what is this?

Small pond frozen and snowy. The spillway was starting to melt a few weeks ago.....I only hope this melting trend continues after this early spring snow storm!

Taking a walk in the snow.

Nostalgic snowshoe tracks.

Snowshoe tracks the next day.

Every time I take a photo of this view I can't take my eyes off it.

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To see these and other photos take a look at this photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2087741&id=40301012&l=a5c3947dda

Snow...on the 8th Day of Spring!!

2009-03-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

These poor little daffodils don't know what hit them!

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Snow on the eighth day of spring, imagine that?

One day soon I know I will wake up to warmth and REAL spring weather....I just have to be patient. It seems as though I have been doing that for awhile now.

The snow is blanketing everything once again.

It has been several hours since I snapped these photos and the snow is still falling. When, oh when will it stop?

Birds and bugs everywhere are running for cover.

My planters await their marching orders.

My seeds sit in their little paper packets waiting to see light and drink H2O.

The long tray of carnations has been hit by a freeze-thaw cycle once again. I hope they will live to bloom this summer!

I dream and dream of the day I will see green again.

Or I can just look at my pictures from this summer.

Many of these little guys didn't make it through the winter in the house, but my green thumb will only plant more and more and more!!!

This is my garden plot....empty and frozen.
It will soon to be filled in with grass seed in preparation for our move up the street. A nice big grassy yard will please the new tenants!

My wonderful garden oasis in August 2008.

I spent many afternoons laying on a blanket watching this thing grow.

It's relaxing just to think about.

This is one reason I will really miss this house when we move...it has a wonderful backyard for gardening. When we move up the hill in June I am going to try more container gardening and experimenting!! This summer my plants may be stunted from a late start but I will still have them. Every year is a learning experience I suppose.....

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I love the flowers of squash plants.

They are lovely and delicate but robust at the same time.

Spring is coming slowly but surely....no matter how many times mother nature throws a snowball at us!

Valentines Day Part 2 AKA Paintball Mania

2009-03-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

Happy and exhausted after my first paintball woods game!

I only got shot 4 or 5 times! I have 3 good bruises to show for my hard work in the "Armed Forces War" at Nitehawk Paintball near Reardon, WA on March 21st. Ryan and I were on the Navy team; there should be pictures of the teams on their Web site soon. Check it out: http://www.nitehawkpaintball.com/

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Maybe I should back up a bit.....for Valentines Day I was surprised with some paintball gear! Nifty padded pants to keep my legs protected and a jersery. Best of all--a mini paintball gun. Just my size! I was excited to try it out, but a little hesitant at the same time. Turns out, I love shooting people with pink balls of fury!

The pictures below show my awesome paintball clothes. They work well in battle. :)

My gun is a Dangerous Power G3 . . . I love this little thing! It is easy to carry and manuver with while moving quickly.

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For many weeks after Valentines day had we planned to play in the "Armed Forces War" at Nitehawk Paintball field with a few friends. Everyone else bailed the night before so Ryan and I solidered on and had an awesome time!

There were 4 teams that day: Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. Yellow, Blue, Green, and Red with a few black arm band renegades running around too. There were even old army trucks barrelling around in the mud trucking people to and from the far ends of the field. It was a crazy sight to behold, but exciting and fun too. I also enjoyed the fact that I was not the only girl playing by any means.

When we arrived at the field at 9:15 a.m. the parking lot was already full.

This is where we moved the truck after almost getting stuck in the mud. Luckily about 15 very nice paintballers ran over to help push the truck out of the mud. We were not very happy with the Ford dealership in Moscow because the 4WD was supposed to have been fixed two weeks prior to this. It is fixed now but if it hadn't been for those great people who helped us at the field we would have hit a little tree and been stuck in the mud for sure!

This is what the back of the truck looked like at breaktime....kinda messy. But SO fun!

You can also see Ryan's gun--Eclipse Ego.

The field had many small trees, fallen logs, rocks, and open areas to play in and around. The picture below was taken in the "safety area" where you cannot shoot paintball guns, but it is a good example of the terrain at this playing field. There are a few towers to take over, trenches to crawl in, and a ravine where you can stalk other paintballers. It is quite the playing field!

Overall it was a really fun day, even if it rained most of the day; it made things interesting. I had a lot of fun running and jumping in trenches and even shot a few people before they shot me.

I'm not going to lie. I got shot many times.

The great thing about paintball is that you just walk back to your little "base" and then get back into the game. It makes for a nice little walking break after running around like a warrior. By the time I get back to the part of the field where the action is I'm ready to play again.

My new clothing worked well deflecting the paintballs from marking my skin up very much. I only got a few bruises compared to the many times paintballs broke on me or my clothes.

It is a pretty cool field! It'll be fun to go back when there is no snow on the ground.

Snowy March Photos Galore

2009-03-13T21:21:00.001-07:00

Snow in March! AHHHH!

When will spring arrive for good?

Soon, we hope!

Seventies style Paradise Ridge

Vintage Paradise Ridge

Paradise Ridge Color Boost

Pretty blue moon and the bright sky.

The giant maple tree in the front of the Cherry street house.

For a few days in February I thought spring had arrived. Moscow was then hit by a blizzard on March 5th. I couldn't believe it when I opened my eyes that morning! Later on, the sun came out and the sky was a brillant color of blue. The trees were begging me to take photos of them. Then I did some experimenting with Photoshop, and got a little addicted and may well have gone overboard with the photos in this post. But they are all uploaded now so there is no going back!!!

Branches begging to be contrasted against the blue sky.

Black and white branches with some nifty edge burning.

And more experimenting! I found new 'actions' by Pioneer Woman (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/) and will be posting more unique photos thanks to her creative genius and willingness to share these actions!

This beautiful pink geranium continues to thrive in the Festival Dance office; blooming several times throughout the winter and this spring. This is one hearty geranium!

Colorized geranium.

Vintage style geranium.

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Onto another subject, my adorable kitties!

They are big guys who act tough but are really love muffins. Cupid 1 1/2 years old and we think Alvin is around 3 years old.

This is Cupid's "I do not find that flashy thing amusing, give me treats now," face.

This is Alvin lounging on my legs. His favorite place to sleep. Cupid likes to sleep right next to Alvin. All the time. They keep me warm, so I don't complain!

The Boys.

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These beautiful roses were from the Swan Lake reception last weekend. As they age, they start to spread apart and smell even better!

I'm a little bit of a rose fanatic. I get it from my Grandma Doris.

I think I'll leave these roses to be the end of photos in this post. What a beautiful ending!

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Ryan and I are off to the coast for a few days early Saturday morning. We'll swing by Moscow to pick up paintball gear on Tuesday, and head up to Papa & Grandma's house to spend the rest of the week playing around home. I think Ryan and I are sleeping in the camper in the garage--it will almost be like a camping adventure. This may only exacerbate my camping urges. Early in April we plan on backpacking in Hells Canyon, so my outdoor needs will soon be satisfied.

xoxo

Fifteen

2009-03-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

Todays post is quick because I'm tired from working all day.

The Swan Lake ballet was wonderful. The Eugene Ballet is phenomenal! We had a great audience, a nice reception afterwards, and got home before 8 p.m.; I'd say that's pretty successful! :)

Now I'm ready for bed!

Before bedtime, I had some fun with photoshop after I scanned an old old picture of Brittany & I. I found the lyrics to one of our favorite songs by Taylor Swift and the results follow below.

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Just for kicks, here is the original picture. If I remember correctly, my Dad took this picture with my film SLR camera back when I worked in the high school darkroom.

I think the year was 2002?? I love finding old pictures!!

Moose Creek Valentines Day Adventure

2009-03-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

For weeks beforehand Ryan had been telling me that he would have to go pick up my gifts the night before Valentines Day. But I know him better than to believe him when he says things like that. I knew he would have something planned well in advance. In the days leading up Valentines I recieved several surprises at random times.

A moose, elk, and mountain goat!
They magically appeared on my dresser, desk, and on the
nightstand Valentines morning to wake me up.

Beautiful red and pink & white Begonias Ryan surprised me
with on Valentines Day Eve and morning.

Mid-morning we headed east to Moose Creek Reservoir. First we stopped by Spring Valley to see the ice fishermen and walk out to the middle of the frozen reservoir.

Standing on Spring Valley ice!

We love spending time at Moose Creek reservoir in the summer so Ryan decided it would be fun to hike around in the snow and eat a hot lunch next to the frozen water. We brought along our snowshoes but ended up not using them because the snow was so hardpacked from the repeated freezing and thawing over the last month. There was a good trail made by cross country skis through the snow along the reservoir and as we got closer to the mouth of Moose creek, so we wandered in the snow occasionally looking at footprints of of all sizes. I was happy to use my new christmas snowpants. They kept me warm and dry!

My Valentine hiking along Moose Creek.

The mountain goat joined us for lunch.

Frozen Moose Creek reservoir. It was so pretty and freezing cold.
Only one ice fisherman sat out on the ice while we were there.

For comparison--here is a picture of the reservoir last June.

I cannot wait for this time of year to return.

Valentines Part 2 coming soon.........

First Time Uploading a Video--with Pics from Australia!

2008-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

Mama and I were so lucky to have the opportunity to visit Corey in Australia for a week during her semester stay there. We packed as much as we could into the 8 days we were together, including waking up at 4:30am to watch the sun rise over the ocean. It was the first time any of us had seen the sun rise out of the ocean. We're used to the sun only setting INTO the ocean! The video below chronicles our adventures on Shelley Beach in the early morning hours. :)

First Post with Photos: Heart Lake Expedition

2008-02-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Heart Lake ~ St. Joe Wilderness

September 2006

This is a story I wrote for an English class a little over a year ago about one of my first backpacking trips. I wrote this three months after we hiked to Heart Lake in the North Idaho St. Joe Wilderness over Labor Day weekend 2006. This hike was the third backpacking trip I ever went on. It was quite the adventure and I'm glad it didn't deter me from going back. At the time I was frustrated--both with my own abilities as an inexperienced hiker and our limited knowledge of the area. Now I see it as a learning experience I would never want to erase from our lives.

**NEW** Scroll to the bottom of this post for more pictures!

The First Heart Lake Expedition

Blue tinted sunlight creeps through the tent on the second day of a three-day backpacking trip. I squint as I fumble around the tent trying to find my glasses; I sit up and look around with them crookedly placed over my eyes. The St. Joe wilderness in northern Idaho is draped in autumn colors. The golden yellow, red, and green hues reflect into Heart Lake, creating a huge watercolor of the ancient crater where it lies.

I accidentally kick my boyfriend, Ryan, as I try to situate myself in our small tent. I mumble “Sorry honey.” He stretches, yawns, and curls back into the cozy sleeping bag when he feels the chilly air surrounding us. His curly dark hair is standing up in the back, just like every morning. He hates it but it is cute. I don’t want to leave the tent and venture into the early morning cold, so I dress and put in my contacts while snuggled in our attached sleeping bags.

I can hear our friends, Rick and Justin, moving around the campsite. They sit near last night’s fire ring, smoking and talking about the animals they heard in the night. “Dude, did you hear all the movement about 10 yards that way last night?” Justin says. I think I hear Rick say he was awake for only five minutes in his tent before he zonked out.

Rick’s raspy voice is muffled, but I can tell he goes on to say something about how cold it is. This is his first year living in Idaho, and as a native of Hawaii, he isn’t acclimated to the fall weather yet. With all of the clothing he has on, you can’t see any of his numerous tattoos. He and Ryan grew up together on the island of Oahu, but Rick was more of an older brother than a friend due to the eight year gap in their ages. Now that they are both adults and live near each other again, they can spend more time together as friends. Showing Rick my home state in all its glory is gratifying.

Justin is in a T-shirt and sweats, not noticing the temperature. He is our resident mountain man; fly fishing pole, Ruger 22 pistol, and gigantic pack included; he likes to go all out. Once Justin discovered that Ryan and I had a passion for the outdoors from a mutual friend, he came with us on several trips. His fishing and shooting abilities proved very useful for catching wild game to cook over campfires.

Once I finally get the courage, I brave the cold. I shiver as my feet touch the icy rubber of my sandals in the abandoned campsite. Even though they are cold, they’re a welcome relief for my feet, which developed a few blisters in my heavy hiking boots during the eight-mile hike to our campsite on the shore of Heart Lake the day before. I maneuver over the small brush and trees on the way to the shore, and notice movement by the water.

A small coil of smoke rises from Rick’s cigarette, floating through the nearby pine needles. He sits on a rock near the water’s edge, pumping lake water through our filter. Filtering water as we go is much easier than hauling it in our packs. Rick is in the best spot to reach the water, so I wait. “So how many miles are we going today?” I say. “Oh, I think Ryan said somewhere around eight. The river where we’re camping tonight is in a valley only a couple of ridges away.” He replies. The collapsible bag Rick is using is almost full, so he shakes the filter dry and makes his way back to the campsite.

I take his spot on the rock and reach into the frigid water of Heart Lake. It feels like ice cubes are sliding over my hands, but it is refreshing this early in the morning and the chilly jolt wakes me up. I splash it onto my face and try to rub my tiredness away. Taking a deep breath, I smile and sigh. The air is clear and the sky is blue; it feels like it’s going to be a good day in the middle of the wilderness. I can hear the songs of the birds flying overhead and small splashes in the lake as a rainbow trout attacks its breakfast of morning bugs. It is refreshing not to hear sirens, cars, and loud neighbors.

When I get back to the camp, everyone is up and packing. I settle on a rock to accomplish my first task; breakfast. The granola and powdered milk we packed tastes foreign but I gobble it down. Powdered milk reminds me of sheetrock dust, but I know it contains nutrients that I will need during the day. Justin rolls up his sleeping bag, Rick takes down his tent, and Ryan lowers our bag of food from a distant tree. Once I finish my granola and powdered milk, I man handle our sleeping bags into their stuff sacks. We want to get a fairly early start on the day so we have plenty of time to relax at our next campsite, eight miles away.

“Everyone ready?” Ryan asks. I heave my bursting backpack onto my shoulders and snap the clasps around my waist and chest. I feel locked in now—ready for blast off. Justin’s pack is the biggest. He has full size everything; tent, pad, sleeping bag, canned food. His fishing pole is attached to one side and his sleeping pad attached to the other. When he walks down the trail, his pack makes him look like an upright-walking turtle. The rest of us have compact backpacks; imitating the guidelines we have read in outdoor magazines and books for the past six months. It is best to go as light as possible to conserve our energy.

The first part of the hike is difficult; we have to hike out of the lake’s crater to get to the river where we are going to camp tonight. There are boulders laying everywhere on the trail, and we have to climb over them and up to scale the crater wall. One side of the crater is a giant rockslide, into which the trail is carved. My legs get tired fast, but I try to keep up with the guys. “You gonna make it?” They ask as I fall behind. “Yes, but my legs don’t go as fast as yours!” I say.

The trail leads up along the steep crater wall. Looking off the side towards the lake makes me nervous; it nearly goes straight down. Even so, I want to take a picture of the lake to show our friends at home. Ryan stops with me, taking in the view. “Man, this is so beautiful.” I whisper, not wanting to ruin the ambience. My fingers turn into thick, immovable logs as I grasp the lens cap and squeeze the release. All at once, the cap flies out of my stubby fingers and careens down the cliff. There is no way either of us are going to climb down to rescue it, so I will have to keep a closer eye on the exposed lens of my camera for the rest of the trip.

Rick snaps a picture of me when I round the last twisting switchback before resting. “Hey, now, that wasn’t too bad, right?” He says. I smile and take a deep breath. The switchbacks climb up the crater wall in a zigzag pattern. Switchbacks are a lot easier to climb than bee lining straight up the steep grade.

We sit under the trees and chew on granola bars to boost our energy; we still have a long way to go before we stop for lunch at Mud Lake. From where we sit, we can see the whole lake hundreds of feet below. The place where we camped the night before looks like a drawing in the distance. The fish jumping in the water look like pinpricks.

An hour down the trail, we all hide under some trees from the sun. The sun stings my eyes; the valley we slept in was in the shadow of the crater, but on the ridge with no tree cover it is hot. I slather some sunscreen on my face and arms. I definitely don’t want the pain of sunburn to put me further behind my hiking partners. “Do you guys want any?” I ask. They all follow suit and cover themselves with the potent smell.

I hike much slower than the guys, but Ryan waits for me; He doesn’t want to leave me alone. “There’s no way I’m leaving you in the middle of nowhere to hike by yourself. I want to make sure you’re safe.” He says several times. Where the trail splits, Rick and Justin wait for us. At the fork, Ryan takes out the GPS and map to figure out which trail we want to take. We decide to explore a little. Down one trail we come over a hill to see another body of water, but we aren’t supposed to find Mud Lake for another two miles, according to the GPS. We turn around and sojourn on the trail to the left of the junction.

Rick and Justin start off again, instantly gaining a lengthy lead on Ryan and I. “Dude, I’m so ready for lunch! Let’s get a move-on!” Justin shouts ahead of us. Now that we are on the correct trail they want to get to Mud Lake as soon as possible. I am tired already, but I want lunch too and try to walk with the same wide stride as the boys.

My body gets heavier and heavier, my stomach growls, and I look at the sun high overhead. It feels like we should be eating lunch soon and I give my body another shove to get moving. The trail seems to stretch on forever. I can faintly hear Ryan grumbling ahead of me with his compass in hand. “We should have made it to Mud Lake by now. Why aren’t we going down into a valley?” He says. We are supposed to turn south and go down in altitude to Mud Lake, but the trail we are following is heading northeast on the top of mountain ridges.

We haven’t seen Justin and Rick in two hours and are getting anxious. Panic sets in as we check the map, compass, and GPS several times in the shade of the sparse pine trees. “If they don’t turn around soon and find us again, who knows where they will end up.” Ryan says. The GPS miscalculated our location at the fork in the trail three miles back, and we are all following the wrong trail as a result.

I keep hoping I’ll hear Rick and Justin’s voices echoing in the valleys on their way back to us, but the only sound is the wind twirling in the trees. Ryan and I sit beside the trail, not knowing what to do. “Should we keep waiting for them?” I ask. “We’ll sit here for another ten minutes, but after that we have to turn back.” Ryan says. Retracing our steps to the fork in the trail where we took the wrong turn is the first step in our plan.

Ryan walks ahead of me, making me want to keep up and go faster. After walking by myself for few minutes, I come over a hill and see him stopped in the trail. He holds his hand out to signal me to stop. “What?!” I say rather loudly and he shushes me. This makes my heart stop in mid-beat. He slowly motions for me to come near. I start to whisper, and he points to the uphill side of the trail. I scan the bushes and small pine trees until I see bright white mountain goats. Two adults and one baby are chewing on the brush only 25 feet off the trail. “Oh my gosh, that is amazing!” I say. “Yea, but we’ve got to be careful around them, especially because there is a baby.” Ryan says. We don’t want to disturb them, so we move slowly and take a few pictures. The largest mountain goat flares his nostrils at us when we try to continue on the trail. “Woah, lets get out of here.” I say. We take a slight detour through the brush on the downhill side of the trail. We keep the mountain goats in sight, but leaving the trail seems to appease their tempers.

As we get closer to where the trail forks, I get more and more anxious about Rick and Justin. “What are they going to do if they don’t turn around?” I say. “I have no idea, they don’t have a water filter, and it is very rare to find sources of water on the top of a ridge.” Ryan says. My two liters of water is already getting low; there is no telling how long it will be until they can drink clean water.

We rest at the split in the trail where we took our first wrong turn, and wait for Rick and Justin; hoping they turned around. Time seems to drip by like molasses, even though we only wait for 15 minutes. The sun moves closer and closer to the horizon. “Well, we have to make a decision or we will be stuck hiking and setting up camp in the dark.” Ryan says. It is still six miles to Mud Lake, but to go back to Heart Lake is only two miles. We have is to go back to Heart Lake tonight if we want to make it out of the forest and back to Ryan’s truck tomorrow. We configure sticks on the trail in the shape of an arrow to signal our direction; hoping Justin and Rick will come back this way.

It takes all of my energy to put one foot in front of the other, but I know if I don’t keep going I won’t have water to drink or to make dinner with. “I hope they catch up with us.” I say. Ryan’s brow is furrowed with worry lines, and he nods his head. It is late afternoon and we never stopped for lunch. The last time I sucked on the tube attached to my water bottle, only air came through. I sigh and look for Ryan ahead of me. He is stopped several hundred yards in the distance, waiting for me once again. My breath is choppy, but I finally catch up. He is resting at the top of Heart Lake’s crater, about to descend to the familiar shoreline. “You ok?” He says. “Yeah, lets just get down to the lake and take these packs off.” I say.

The trail down the crater seems to go by much faster than earlier this morning, and I look forward to taking my boots off. I can feel the open blisters on my feet, hot against my wool socks. It will feel good to soak them in the frigid mountain water that lies far below.

Before I know it, we are in the thick trees along the shore. The night before, there were people camping everywhere, but the shoreline is empty and we pick the best campsite of all.

The water feels like tiny icicles poking the raw parts of my feet, but it relieves the burning sensation of the many miles we hiked today. I slowly pump the handle on the water filter, seeing the clear, cool liquid cascade from Heart Lake into the plastic water bag. It makes my mouth water. Finally sitting down makes me feel even more tired, and I try to pump faster so we can boil water for dinner.

I eat my delicious meal of chicken a la king from its pouch so fast that I burn my tongue. I don’t care; I need nourishment. I feel energized by the warmth sliding down my throat; it is a welcome relief from the hard day. “This tastes so good.” I say. “It would taste better if Rick and Justin were here with us.” Ryan says.

I am glad to lie down on my stomach with my dinner in front of me, even if it is on the hard ground. The bed sheet Ryan brought comes in handy; shielding us from the insects and dirt on the ground. As we fill up on warm food, Ryan and I go over what we will have to do if we don’t see Rick and Justin tonight. Sunset will happen within an hour, and we haven’t seen them in over 5 hours. We decide to hike out as early as possible in the morning, wait at the trailhead with Ryan’s pickup, and hope they hike out as well. If they don’t arrive by nightfall, we will have to initiate emergency services and start a search through the immense wilderness.

Ryan walks to the lake edge to wash off our utensils, but before he is halfway there we hear, “SOOOUUUZZZZZAAAA,” Ryan’s last name, echo in the crater. Our eyes lock together in disbelief. My body freezes in place as every muscle strains to hear another echo. Rick’s voice continues to holler Ryan’s last name, and we run to the edge of the lake to yell to him.

While Ryan runs to meet them halfway up the crater wall with water, I sit at the water’s edge and pump four liters of water for the thirsty hikers. As parched as I was by the time we got here, I know they will be even more so. Just as I finish, and shake the water from my soaking feet and the filter, I hear them traipsing through the brush. Justin holds out his water bottle as he walks into the clearing, not saying a word, and I run to fill it up. Rick leans against a log as he pulls his heavy, dust-covered boots from his feet. I hand him the water bag, and he pours the water down his dry throat.

While the guys eat, the sun seems to teeter on the edge of the crater wall before it starts to dip behind, sending rays of luminescence through the trees around us.

After our tents get set up, we build a fire and stare into the blue and yellow flames like zombies. The GPS Ryan carried all day has an odometer, so we take it out to discover how far we hiked today. Ryan and I ended up trekking ten miles. By looking at the map, we estimate Justin and Rick wandered nearly sixteen miles that day. They tell us how they stopped to wait for us for forty-five minutes. We never caught up, but they kept hiking, thinking I was being slow. Across the smoke and flames, Justin’s unmistakable loud, rambunctious laughter rings as he tells us that they got to the end of the trail. There, they met two hunters on dirt bikes, drinking beer. The laughing hunters told them that Mud Lake was eight miles in the direction they had just come from. On the map, we could see that they walked into another county.

They ran out of water long before they got to the arrow we had fashioned out of sticks. "I just wanted to find you guys, after that, I didn’t care what happened.” Rick says. He tells us he just wanted to keep going until he found us, and our arrow gave him the last dose of adrenaline he needed to keep walking.

Lying down on my air mattress feels like heaven after having over thirty pounds strapped to my back all day. Even though we ended up in the same spot we were at last night, I am thankful to have us all together again. It is relieving to be able to hike back to the pickup in the morning and not have to call search and rescue to find our friends in the middle of the St. Joe forest.

My eyelashes flutter as sleep takes hold of me, and the bright stars glittering above me slowly disappear behind my eyelids. I hear Justin and Rick settling into their tents, grunting and mumbling. I sigh and snuggle into Ryan, sore and tired, but content.

Heart Lake
St. Joe Wilderness
September 2006

Ryan and I at the Crag lake overlook on trail 65.
Two years later Ryan asked me to marry him at this very spot.

The mountain goats we ran into on the trail.
Two adults and one baby!

Justin and Rick looking for grouse on trail 65.

Justin got one!

Rick and Ryan relaxing and filtering
fresh mountain water from Northbound lake.

My horror: immortalized.
This is the first and only time
Ryan ever had to carry my bag.
The switchbacks up to Sawtooth Saddle trailhead
from Sawtooth Creek are grueling.

I was not prepared the first time.

Sitting in my favorite chair rock at Heart lake for the first time.

After the summer of 2006 I fell in love with
hiking in national forests.

It was only the beginning of many
years of hiking adventures to come!!!