Final Hike of 2018

Hey Tribe,

With Christmas finished and the excitement ebbing, we needed something to pep us up and help adjust our mood.  TheNurse has impeccable timing and sent a text wondering when we were free for a hike and we quickly chose Twin Peaks trail (remember the bear encounter?) to try again. 

Post Christmas feels

The bears would probably be sleeping, we hoped, like all sensible mammals should be during winter, but that didn’t prevent TheGingerBeast from being a little worried about our adventure.  She’s new to our team.

Our conversation before the hike went like this.

Snow was in abundance as we pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot at 6:00pm – two stalwart and snow-laden trucks were the only evidence that this popular trailhead is used year round.  Naturally, Fly and Kona immediately engaged in epic battle and took advantage of the open space to put on a light show for us as we arranged packs and adjusted trekking poles.

Our hike was rather peaceful, with the exception of the perpetually wrestling furry companions who kept us dodging and hopping out of their path of destruction.  TheGingerBeast kept the conversation going with questions of “Would you rather…” while TheNurse and I huffed and puffed our way through the powdery snow and up the gently sloping switchbacks of the trail.  We concluded a long time ago that we are not athletic – just determined – and unashamedly slow as hikers.

At the first bench, we paused to take in the view, as well as to gasp in the crisp wintery night air.  The lake was just visible in the moonlight, with its blanket of white snow contrasting against the dark tree covered mountain slopes, stretching parallel to us and away around a bend in the deep valley toward an unseen glacier that is its source.  One day, we will pay the glacier a visit.

On we hiked, up into the unending trees and bends in the trail.  The path petered to only a sliver of a trail the further we continued – other hikers apparently turning back before reaching the second bench that marks the end of the established trail.  Hunger began to make itself known to our group of dinner negligent girls and I was ready to turn back if we didn’t reach the second bench soon.  Jokingly, I told TheNurse to run up ahead and see if the bench was near, knowing full well my hiking twin was just as spent as I was; to my admiration and surprise, TheGingerBeast volunteered and without hesitation, began running - literally running - up the snowy incline and was quickly swallowed up by the darkness.  Fly was ready to charge up the trail after her, but was held in check by my unwillingness to move another step unless warranted.  We waited.  TheGingerBeast didn’t return.  We shouted and waited.  Nothing.  After some worried debate, TheNurse and I decided we would press on and see if we could find our brave and missing companion and the dogs eagerly charged ahead to close the gap.

Fly checked out ptarmigan tracks in the snow.

We found her, coming back to meet us, jubilantly exclaiming that she’d found the elusive second bench and we followed her encouraging words up to the wooden and snow covered seat.  Summit snacks were shared as we took in the stars and hoped to see the Northern Lights that were purported to be brilliant and visible that evening.  All we saw were a scattering of stars and cloud cover that was lit up with the distant city lights, set against the black outline of the surrounding mountain peaks.  It was lovely, though not what were had been hoping for: sometimes what you get is just as nice, if you have a willing spirit and an open mind.

TheGingerBeast, TheNurse, and Kona squint into my headlight beam.

TheGingerBeast, like Cinderella, had to be home by midnight, so we made a speedy descent, pausing at the lake overlook again to re-admire the view and watch the headlights of some people moving about under the trees far below us at the otherwise quiet lakeside campground.  No bears were met this time, though Fly did do some concerning sniffing and posturing at a few points as we made our way downhill; she would stop and intently peer into the woods, before moving on and I decided not to point it out to the others, because ignorance is bliss, right?  The smells didn’t bother Fly enough to worry her, so I decided to trust my dog and didn’t let it bother our group either.  It could have been a moose, or a grouse, or some far off night creature just living its life and glad the noisy humans were vacating the area.

Kona's glowing eyes were the only ones we encountered, thankfully.

In all, it was a great night hike and a fantastic way to end our 2018 hiking season.  I am so excited for another year of hiking, adventuring, and spending time with the beings whom I love.