Adventures in Hiking
It's been oppressively hot here lately, the kind of hot that has middle-aged women, myself included, wearing severely inappropriate outfits, and NO ONE frowns disapprovingly at us.
So i borrowed The Mister's car and took off to the mountains to go hiking with Kim.
We got up at the crack of 8:30, in time to eat the magnificent repast provided for us at the B&B where we stayed, then moseyed on out of the place at 10 am or so.
After stopping at the Ranger Station, we decided to tackle a hike that would require every fancy-assed gadget on The Mister's SUV in order to reach the trail head. High clearance, low gears and Hill Descent Control. WHEEEEEE!
As we were bumping along, about a mile below the trail head, we come across a white pickup, stuck in a ditch on the roadside, such that no one could get past in either direction.
And OH! GET THIS! The Stuck Truck is a FOREST SERVICE vehicle containing two mortified young ladies in their little forest service uniforms.
Kim and i get out, joining Grumpy Smoker Woman and Boring Man, who are blocked from above by Stuck Truck. (NOTE: Made up names reflect Kim's and my ability to stereotype people in an instant.)
Begin head scratching, requests for tow ropes and lots of 'helpful' advice. None of us has a tow rope. Boo!
A third vehicle stops, just below Kim and i, out comes The Silver Fox, and Bar Mitzvah Boy, with their little dog Shadow.
More head scratching.
Oblivious Dad, various small children, Crusty Grandpa
Two more vehicles pull up from below. Families pour out, complete with Wandering Grandpa, Frustrated Daughter-in-Law, Small Crying Children and Oblivious Dad.
The men and Kim cluster around the truck, giving advice, while the rest of us make stupid jokes and slap at the biting black flies.
I finally think to get my camera out. First intelligent thing i've done since stopping.
Attempts are made to rock Stuck Truck out of its rut. Gravel is fetched. Tree branches are laid down. Shovels are employed. All to no avail.
Wandering Grandpa wanders off and has to be pulled out of the road by Kim.
More cars pull up below. Groups issue from each car, including Crusty Grandpa and more small children. Some one has a chain, but no hooks. Oblivious Dad tries to TIE one end of the chain to Stuck Truck. I tuck a small child under each arm and move way far away as i know a tied chain will not hold and flying chains can be fatal.
Men take over, much fussing ensues.
British Guy, Silver Fox and Boring ManI love men!
Cable is attached, in a complex scheme that somehow involves a toy carabiner from The Mister's key chain. I move further away.
Clear everyone out, she's gonna blow!
Frustrated Daughter-in-Law, Silver Fox, Bar Mitzvah Boy, British Guy, Wandering Grandpa and Mortified Ranger Girl.Victory!
Frustrated Daughter-in-Law, Oblivious Dad, British Guy, Mortified Ranger Girl and Kim.Wandering Grandpa's wife wonders where wandering Grandpa is.
It was a great shared experience. Since we were all heading the same way, we nodded and smiled at one another as we moved along with our day.
So, on with the hike. The flowers are in full bloom.
This flower is a Fringed Grass of Parnassus.
I'm using the wet bandanna under the hat trick. I don't look stupid do i?
Kim, rolling in the snow like a frisky husky dog. Did i mention it was hot?
It was all worth it.
27 comments:
And I imagined you were going to employ those small children somehow in the rescue of the truck. That's what I would have done with mine.
That snow does look inviting. I'm not even looking at the last shot. Not.Looking.
Shakes head...
All those people. Not one tow strap?
Shakes head some more...
What a gorgeous view. I'm sure you reached the top in no time, right?
Who knew you would come upon a crabby man convention?
oh man, that scenery is awesome!
it just looks so peaceful up there...wherever "there" is!
yay! British Guy always saves the day! I love your cast of characters.
Awesome! I woulda thunk Mortified Ranger Girl woulda had some sort of handy dandy communication device (e.g. two-way radio) with which to calleth for helpeth (tow rope). This sounds more fun, though. ;)
"Men take over, much fussing ensues" is quite the priceless line.
And true.
de, we could have put them in the back of Stuck Truck to provide more weight maybe?
scott, not until British Guy arrived. We will be getting a tow strap for the back of The Mister's car post haste.
mrs 4444, no time might be a bit of an exaggeration!
robin, near Mt Baker is where there is.
nancy, life is SO amusing sometimes. Just when you think all is going as planned, along comes a party.
steph, they did, but it would have taken hours, and all the men were just sure we could get Truck Unstuck. And we did.
clowncar, the advice flew fast and thick.
the snow, the glorious snow....
This is such a great story. It's funny what can sometimes happen on your way somewhere. How much total time elapsed?
Yes, you do look silly with wig on, but it was another hot day so you're excused.
How shameful! Red-faced Forest Service gals have to be rescued by resourceful Brit while bemused locals hover uncertainly. And I thought you Yanks were the hardy outdoor types, ready for anything!
Ah, the wet bandanna under the hat - a look to die for!
The wet bandanna under hat trick, very attractive. Predict it will hit the runways in Paris and New York shortly.
Beautiful view.
Public vehicle stuckage is almost as difficult as public math. Knowing how my partner would feel in that situation, I am soooo glad I didn't have to ride back in that white truck.
What a gorgeous place! It's good to know that the forestry service people have our backs. You look great even in a wet bandanna, which is extremely not fair.
LOL I have a photo of Snowshoe rolling in the snow in almost the same spot!
I can't wait to read you when you're a cranky old woman.
Hey, that's not too different from what you are now (minus the old part)
Ha! I love "Made up names reflect Kim's and my ability to stereotype people in an instant", mainly because I'm pretty judgemental and stereotype-y too. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Aha! You've got all of our heat! No way should it be 66F at 10:30 in the morning on Aug 5 here.
I agree that the hike was worth it. What a view.
flutter, it was glorious, but fast melting.
egan, probably about an hour or so. I look silly? Who knew?
nick, it was a party! Group problem solving at its best.
deb, i always was fashion forward.
jumper cables and screwdriver, They had to continue up to the trailhead and we saw them a few more times during the day.
hearts, you must want to borrow money if you say i look good in that!
cheesy, i guess bitches all like to roll in the snow. OOooooh, sorry Kim!
andrea, i wonder if i COULD get crankier.
etk, i know, we're bad.
gordo, looks like you took your heat back, finally!
Woohoo, see, fine Englishman is everywhere ready to rescue people :)
You look so happy! Your have a perfect set of teeth btw, like in TV commercial.
Your getup reminds me of a 40's actress playing opposite Errol Flynn or somebody in a Hollywood safari movie.
But how much money are we talking about?
I adore all your names!! wow you can sum people up real quick
you do not look stupid
you look adorable
I know you probably hate that description but if I came upon you on the road I'd think to myself - I want to talk to interesting towel hat woman, we can snark together -
Interesting trip and good photos. Did the Ranger Girls ever figure out what they did wrong so they hopefully won't do the same thing again?
I think you look awesome with your hat and bandana. Goodness knows I have rocked that look any number of times. I wish desperately I could go hiking with you. I miss seeing those kinds of views.
P.S. This is Princess in G. I signed in with my other account tonight. :-)
I love your nicknames for everyone.
What's with the ranger truck not being prepared? That's like girl scouts being out without cookies, just wrong. At least they had the good sense to be mortified.
So much for a quiet hike with a freind in nature. Looks like 1/2 of Kettle Falls was up on that mountain.
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