The Accidental Olympian

SOLO TRIP

I have been feeling the urge to take a solo vacation pretty strongly lately.

A few years ago some friends and I headed to a little Bavarian town in WA called Leavenworth (the entire town is German themed fyi. My people!) to partake in the wildness and debauchery that is Oktoberfest.

It was a blast.

Lately I've been thinking about Leavenworth.

But not because I want to carry around a stein, eat sausage and dance the polka.

I mean, I do, but that isn't what is drawing me to Leavenworth at this moment.

While we vacationed for our short weekend we stayed in a campground outside of the city and rented ourselves a little trailer. While we waited for our Oktober-crazy to begin we took a walk that Saturday morning around the campground. The leaves were changing, the weather was sunny but crisp, we stumbled upon the most picturesque field and stopped to marvel at the landscape and take group shots.






Everyone was excited about our upcoming night of Oktoberfest fantasticness, but in that moment on our little walk it was about the beauty of nature and fall.

As we drove out of town on Sunday I was mesmerised by the drive. The leaves were bright yellows and reds, leaves tumbled slowly from the branches and gave the allusion that it was snowing brightly colored foliage.

I loved every second of the drive, even through my headache and Adam's stench of one too many sausage from the night before.





I literally ache for a trip back.

One where I am in the woods, surrounded by these beautiful trees.

I envision a house with windows that enable me to sip my morning coffee and stare off into the forest.

Maybe a hot tub on the deck where I can enjoy a glass of wine and the mountains.

I want to take long rambling walks in the fall air with Oly.

Silent walks, without company, without worrying about a drop in conversation. Just my thoughts.

Read for hours on end without wondering what we should be doing next.

I want to make dinner in a kitchen that isn't my own.

Enjoy a bedtime movie in a living room I wont have to vacuum later.

Snuggle with my puppy in a bed I don't need to make later.




And yet, something is keeping me from pulling the trigger.

You'll get bored.

It wont be as fun as you think it will.

What a waste of money.

Wouldn't it be better with friends?

If you stay home you'll save a CRAP TON more money.

Wont staying in a house alone in the woods simply play up on all your fears?




So I ask you.

Have any of you taken a solo trip?

How long did you go?

What did you do?

How much did you love it?

ANOTHER CHECK OFF THE SUMMER 'TO DO' LIST

Guys, it is AUGUST.

What happened?

Normally when August rolls around I'm terrified because I realize the summer is almost over and I've spend 75% off it talking about things I want to do, instead of actually doing them.

This summer I've been better about being a proactive participant in checking off my summer 'to-do' list. So far I've BBQed, gardened like I've never gardened before, broken out the slip'n slide, boated, enjoyed happy hour with friends on outdoor patios, camped, sunbathed on lake Washington with dear friends, explored new parts of Olympia, planted flowers (even if the gardeners did kill them), and now to add to the ever growing list, I got Adam to go hiking with me.  

Now, you're probably wondering why I phrased it as "I got Adam to go hiking with me," instead of simply saying that, "Adam and I went hiking." But you see, the last time I convinced Adam to go on a hike with me I told him it wasn't going to be very hard at all. Rated a three in the guidebook for difficulty, and a five out of five for recommendation. Simple hike that was very well rated. Sign me up! 

Turns out I'm an idiot and it was actually rated a three on the recommendation scale, and was a five out of five for difficulty. Which basically means that we walked up the face of a mountain for 6+ hours. My bad!

So this time I had to show Adam the guidebook like 12 times, pointing repeatedly where it said that the hike I was interested in was a THREE for difficulty. Even promising him that if we arrived and it was actually the bottom of a mountain we were supposed to scale I gave him every right to turn around. And maybe even punch me in the shin.

Thankfully the hike was not only easy enough for all parties, it was absolutely beautiful and the perfect way to spend a late July summer Saturday.

 

Tell me that doesn't look EXACTLY like an elephant.

*If you live in the Western WA area and are interested in taking this hike (8 miles round trip, not too strenuous, follows a river the entire time) it can be found in the guidebook Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula by Craig Romano. It is hike #31, Upper South Fork Skokomish River. Fantastic hike.

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

6 MILE SUNDAY

Each time I have the thought, "I miss living in the city," I have a day like today where Olympia reminds me how lucky I am to live 10 minutes away from things like this, or my newest discovery, the Chehalis Western Trail. 

Ten minutes from my house lies a paved trail covering over 20 miles that winds through fields, forests, past rivers and through neighborhoods. I was only ten minutes from my house, and yet, my home, and civilization felt hours away.

One of these days Olympia I'll just stop fighting it and finally proclaim my full and total love for you.

Don't you start counting down the days or anything Olympia.

I said one of these days. 

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

KINDNESS & KARMA WEEK, FAMILY EDITION

So here we are, in the middle of Kindness and Karma week. I will be honest in saying that the simple existence of this week, this week dedicated to being happy, to myself, to others, to changing the way I think about life has already been seeping deep into my way of thinking. In a most immediate sense, I found a way to stop with all the silly fence straddling, and finally picked a side.

And you know what?

My crotch thanks me.

But mostly my mind thanks me.

I'm not entirely ready to tell YOU all what I decided on/about, but I promise one of these days soon I'll lay it all out and let you in on why I was wasting my time straddling metaphorical fences in the first place. For now just know I'm off, and life feels better.

In other Kindness & Karma news, I think one of the truest ways to be kind to yourself is to never be afraid to try something scary/different/foreign. Especially if you weren't doing something at the expense of your own happiness. I am famous for denying myself things I want because I am afraid, but someone in my life who constantly demonstrates the power of living life bravely is my mother. At the end of the day I have her to thank for time and time again showing by example the true joy that lies in conquering a fear. Without her examples, I'd probably be cowering in a corner somewhere right now.

My mother called me in late March to tell me she was going to be going on a trip. Where I asked? Oh, well she'd decided to hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, camp in the canyon for a few nights, and then hike back to the top. And she said it like that too, like it was going to be something maybe she did on a Saturday after step aerobics or something. Like it wasn't the most awe inspiring WOW of a statement to be telling her daughter.

And damn it if my mother didn't actually fucking hike her way DOWN and then back UP the Grand Canyon.

Here she is, standing at the top of one of the most spectacular sites this country has to offer with one of our family friends (who also happens to be my oldest friend's, mother), ready to descend into a place most of us will never see even if we manage to visit the edge of this impressive landmark.

Then, over the course of many many hours, and many many switchbacks, (see below)

they arrived at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The BOTTOM. When you stand on the edge and peer at the tiny little specs below, who knew that beauty like this lies buried in the crevices?

Can you imagine? They camped in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I mean, how cool is that? Maybe I'm weird and this is something people do all the damn time, but for some reason camping in the belly of something that is listed near the top on a list of of the most heavily visited National Parks, a place that is known for having one of the most striking vistas in our nation, well that renders me as absolutely speechless. Just thinking of those canyon walls towering above you, it gives me the shivers.

After the trek down, and camping in the belly of the beast for a few days, my mother hiked her way back UP the canyon. Repeat, she walked from the bottom of the canyon, winding her way back up to the top of THIS.

Walked and walked and walked until she stood once again on the edge of this impressive landmark.

When they started at the bottom it was in the high 80's, and by the time they'd finished, people, it was SNOWING. Even though they were physically exhausted, and pretty confused, what with the snow and all, they had completed their mission. Although I can't help but sort of laugh at my mom's face (she's in the green) because in all honesty she sort of looks miserable having just accomplished an awesome task.

The most amazing thing about talking to my mother afterward? She says to me, "You know, it was hard, and I could definitely feel how strained my body was in the end, but I never once got to a point where I thought to myself, 'If I have to take one more step I think I will just die.'"

Turns out it takes a lot more than hiking back up the Grand Canyon to kill off MY mother.

This is all a really long winded way of saying that if I grow up to be even half the person my mother is, I think I will have done more than ok.

Mom, I want you to know that more than anything, you inspire me. 

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian

ROMP BY THE RIVER

Spring has finally arrived in the Northwest. This means we now suffer from skitzophrenic weather patterns, SUN, rain, SUN, rain, SUN, SUN, SUN (cue the hopeful feelings), then rain, rain, rain (cue the depression as you start to believe the sun will never return and you actually somehow slipped backwards into winter).

With that being said, when the sun decides to arrive, it is in everyone's best interest to head outdoors.

After raining all morning suddenly the skies opened and I realized it was time to capitalize on our fortunes lest we be blessed with rain all next week. So I gathered my leash and my pooch, and headed to the Deschutes river, also known as my next door neighbor.

I wont lie to you and say that sometimes I don't ache all the way down to my toes for Seattle. That I don't long for the days when I could jump on a buss and 15 minutes later be in the heart of downtown Seattle. But something I always felt was lacking from Seattle was this.

Sure, there were lakes, and parks, and wilderness 'areas' in Seattle. But on a day like today, you bet you'd run into 70 other people. Here, I walked for 15 minutes, and suddenly I was playing in my own private wilderness.

I guess it makes up for the lacking of hip happy hour options.

I love how Oly's face is a little deformed by the slowness of my iPhone's camera. Even with the deformity there is no denying that this is one happy pooch.



Yes, that is my dog trying to eat the plants growing on the bottom of the river. She's special like that.

 

I tried to capture this moment a million times. Having Oly run in front of me, then crouch down with my phone at the ready and call her back. In the end this shot made the cut because not only does Oly look happier than I've seen her all day running loose in a field as dogs always long to do, but the rays of sunlight in the top corner make the shot even more euphoric.

But I could just be sun drunk at this point.

It's hard in the Northwest not to get excited about a warm spring day. You'll have to excuse me. I'm sure if it rains tomorrow I'll be back to my gloomy self.
 

Ashley, the Accidental Olympian