These are a Few of my Favorite Things, on the Trail

 Have you ever had something you were looking forward to so much that you felt little flutters in your stomach every time you thought about it?

 My stomach is fluttering away, and even though I have been saying that I am not nervous or anxious to get started on this hike, since I know the difficulties I am facing in a couple of months, my body is telling a different story.

 

Let's face it, I am looking forward to some very awesome things. My favorite scents and sights in this world revolve around the outdoors and the trail.

 

From my earliest years, I used to spend 1 week each summer at Big Lake Youth Camp. My love for these trees, the Ponderosa Pines, began here. There is nothing better than the smell of warming pine needles beneath my feet as I walk among these trees. The underbrush is scant and makes walking a pleasure. This is a far cry from the rain forest of the Columbia River Gorge (do not care for walking in the rain forest). This forest is dry and doesn't smell moldy.

Another favorite sight is sunsets. Sunrises are lovely too, but to me the sunsets are the best. I think it is because my work is done for the day and I get to relax and just enjoy the beauty of the light show in the sky. I love when the color is drained from my surroundings and I'm left with black silhouettes of the trees and mountains.  It is my favorite time to talk to God, and a sublime sunset just provides an amazing backdrop that punctuates the end of the day to perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which brings me to my next favorite sight and scent in the whole world: Campfires!

 

As the sun is dropping beneath the horizon, what is better than the kind of campfire you can huddle around, the fire burning one side of your body, while the other side gets chilly until you turn around? The smoke billows upward, teasing your nostrils with the smoky scent of burning wood, at the same time burning your eyes until you have to either close your eyes or move to the other side of the fire. The darkness then becomes complete and everyone looks their best by the glow of a campfire.



 I don't expect to have a campfire much on the trail, but I sure will enjoy it when I happen upon one!

 

 

 The Views

This is probably the real reason for hiking for this long and this far up along the crest of the Pacific Crest Trail. I can't get enough of the far sweeping vistas or looking down on everything from a high perch.

Looking towards Mt. Washington on the PCT in Oregon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I'll be honest here, without the views I would find this hike to be pretty pointless. The views like the ones pictured here feed my soul.



View from Mt. Baden-Powell

I will be bringing you numerous pictures like these as the summer progresses. 

 

1999

On top of Mt. Whitney

 Enough Said!!

And believe it or not, my last (not least) favorite item on the trail is........ Horse Apples!

 

I love walking along the trail, dodging the fresh ones, scuffling through the old ones, and see them mingling with the dust of the trail. Weird I may be, but someone has to love them. And If I didn't, I would most likely be having tantrums every so often as I encounter them. So I choose to embrace this part of the trail also. I do love to see the horses on the trail and the scent rising from around them just puts me in a really good, happy mood. 

 

So these things are what is making the fluttering in my stomach and are my inspiration as I think about the long journey ahead. As Zig Ziglar puts it: "It is not your aptitude, but your attitude, that determines your altitude."